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GEORG  EBERS 

I 
UARDA 


«  mot>  •»iuvr»?niorf<J 


The  Farewell  Kiss. 

» 

Photogravure  from  *  painting  by  L.  Alma-Tadema. 


THE  HISTORICAL  ROMANCES  OF 
GEORG  EBERS 


Translated  from  the  German  by 
Clara  Bell 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
New  York  and  London 


COPYRIGHT,  1881, 
BY  WILLIAM  S.  GOTTSBERGER. 


Authorized  Edition. 


DEDICATION. 

Tiiou  knowest  well  from  what  this  book  arose. 
When  suffering  seized  and  held  me  in  its  clasp 
Thy  fostering  hand  released  me  from  its  grasp, 

And  from  amid  the  thorns  there  bloomed  a  rose. 
Air,  dew,  and  sunshine  were  bestowed  by  Thee, 
And  Thine  it  is ;  without  these  lines  from  me. 


PREFACE. 

IN  the  winter  of  1873  I  spent  some  weeks  in  one 
of  the  tombs  of  the  Necropolis  of  Thebes  in  order  to 
study  the  monuments  of  that  solemn  city  of  the  dead; 
and  during  my  long  rides  in  the  silent  desert  the  germ 
was  developed  whence  this  book  has  since  grown.  The 
leisure  of  mind  and  body  required  to  write  it  was 
given  me  through  a  long  but  not  disabling  illness. 

In  the  first  instance  I  intended  to  elucidate  this 
story — like  my  "Egyptian  Princess" — with  numerous 
and  extensive  notes  placed  at  the  end;  but  I  was  led  to 
give  up  this  plan  from  finding  that  it  would  lead  me 
to  the  repetition  of  much  that  I  had  written  in  the 
notes  to  that  earlier  work. 

The  numerous  notes  to  the  former  novel  had  a 
threefold  purpose.  In  the  first  place  they  served  to 
explain  the  text;  in  the  second  they  were  a  guarantee 
of  the  care  with  which  I  had  striven  to  depict  the 
archaeological  details  in  all  their  individuality  from  the 
records  of  the  monuments  and  of  Classic  Authors;  and 
thirdly  I  hoped  to  supply  the  reader  who  desired  further 
knowledge  of  the  period  with  some  guide  to  his  studies. 

In  the  present  work  I  shall  venture  to  content  my- 
self with  the  simple  statement  that  I  have  introduced 
nothing  as  proper  to  Egypt  and  to  the  period  of 
Rameses  that  cannot  be  proved  by  some  authority;  the 
numerous  monuments  which  have  descended  to  us  from 
the  time  of  the  Rameses,  in  fact  enable  the  enquirer 
to  understand  much  of  the  aspect  and  arrangement  of 
Egyptian  life,  and  to  follow  it  step  by  step  through  the 
details  of  religious,  public,  and  private  life,  even  of 


II  PREFACE. 

particular  individuals.  The  same  remark  cannot  be 
made  in  regard  to  their  mental  life,  and  here  many  an 
anachronism  will  slip  in,  many  things  will  appear 
modern,  and  show  the  coloring  of  the  Christian  mode 
of  thought. 

Every  part  of  this  book  is  intelligible  without  the 
aid  of  notes;  but,  for  the  reader  who  seeks  for  further 
enlightenment,  I  have  added  some  foot-notes,  and  have 
not  neglected  to  mention  such  works  as  afford  more 
detailed  information  on  the  subjects  mentioned  in  the 
narrative. 

The  reader  who  wishes  to  follow  the  mind  of  the 
author  in  this  work  should  not  trouble  himself  with  the 
notes  as  he  reads,  but  merely  at  the  beginning  of  each 
chapter  read  over  the  notes  which  belong  to  the  fore- 
going one.  Every  glance  at  the  foot-notes  must  neces- 
sarily disturb  and  injure  the  development  of  the  tale 
as  a  work  of  art.  The  story  stands  here  as  it  flowed 
from  one  fount,  and  was  supplied  with  notes  only  after 
its  completion. 

A  narrative  of  Herodotus  combined  with  the  Epos 
of  Pentaur,  of  which  so  many  copies  have  been  handed 
down  to  us,  forms  the  foundation  of  the  story. 

The  treason  of  the  Regent  related  by  the  Father 
of  history  is  referable  perhaps  to  the  reign  of  the  third 
and  not  of  the  second  Rameses.  But  it  is  by  no  means 
certain  that  the  Halicarnassian  writer  was  in  this  case 
misinformed;  and  in  this  fiction  no  history  will  be  in- 
culcated, only  as  a  background  shall  I  offer  a  sketch 
of  the  time  of  Sesostris,  from  a  picturesque  point  of 
view,  but  with  the  nearest  possible  approach  to  truth. 
It  is  true  that  to  this  end  nothing  has  been  neglected 
that  could  be  learnt  from  the  monuments  or  the  pa- 


PREFACE.  Ill 

pyri;  still  the  book  is  only  a  romance,  a  poetic  fiction, 
in  which  I  wish  all  the  facts  derived  from  history  and 
all  the  costume  drawn  from  the  monuments  to  be 
regarded  as  incidental,  and  the  emotions  of  the  actors 
in  the  story  as  what  I  attach  importance  to. 

But  I  must  be  allowed  to  make  one  observation. 

From  studying  the  conventional  mode  of  execution 
of  ancient  Egyptian  art — which  was  strictly  subject  to 
the  hieratic  laws  of  type  and  proportion — we  have  ac- 
customed ourselves  to  imagine  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Nile-valley  in  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs  as  tall  and 
haggard  men  with  little  distinction  of  individual  phys- 
iognomy, and  recently  a  great  painter  has  sought  to 
represent  them  under  this  aspect  in  a  modern  picture. 

This  is  an  error;  the  Egyptians,  in  spite  of  their 
aversion  to  foreigners  and  their  strong  attachment  to 
their  native  soil,  were  one  of  the  most  intellectual  and 
active  people  of  antiquity;  and  he  who  would  represent 
them  as  they  lived,  and  to  that  end  copies  the  forms 
which  remain  painted  on  the  walls  of  the  temples  and 
sepulchres,  is  the  accomplice  of  those  priestly  corrupters 
of  art  who  compelled  the  painters  and  sculptors  of  the 
Pharaonic  era  to  abandon  truth  to  nature  in  favor  of 
their  sacred  laws  of  proportion. 

He  who  desires  to  paint  the  ancient  Egyptians  with 
truth  and  fidelity,  must  regard  it  in  some  sort  as  an  act 
of  enfranchisement ;  that  is  to  say,  he  must  release  the 
conventional  forms  from  those  fetters  which  were  pecu- 
liar to  their  art  and  altogether  foreign  to  their  real  life. 
Indeed,  works  of  sculpture  remain  to  us  of  the  time  of 
the  first  pyramid,  which  represent  men  with  the  truth 
of  nature,  unfettered  by  the  sacred  canon.  We  can 
recall  the  so-called  "Village  Judge"  of  Bulaq,  the  "  Scribe" 


IV  PREFACE. 

now  in  Paris,  and  a  few  figures  in  bronze  in  different 
museums,  as  well  as  the  noble  and  characteristic  busts 
of  all  epochs,  which  amply  prove  how  great  the  variety 
of  individual  physiognomy,  and,  with  that,  of  individual 
character  was  among  the  Egyptians.  Alma  Tadema  in 
London  and  Gustav  Richter  in  Berlin  have,  as  painters, 
treated  Egyptian  subjects  in  a  manner  which  the  poet 
recognizes  and  accepts  with  delight. 

Many  earlier  witnesses  than  the  late  writer  Flavius 
Vopiscus  might  be  referred  to  who  show  us  the  Egyp- 
tians as  an  industrious  and  peaceful  people,  passionately 
devoted  it  is  true  to  all  that  pertains  to  the  other 
world,  but  also  enjoying  the  gifts  of  life  to  the  fullest 
extent,  nay  sometimes  to  excess. 

Real  men,  such  as  we  see  around  us  in  actual  life, 
not  silhouettes  constructed  to  the  old  priestly  scale  such 
as  the  monuments  show  us — real  living  men  dwelt  by 
the  old  Nile-stream;  and  the  poet  who  would  represent 
them  must  courageously  seize  on  types  out  of  the  daily 
life  of  modern  men  that  surround  him,  without  fear  of 
deviating  too  far  from  reality,  and,  placing  them  in  their 
own  long  past  time,  color  them  only  and  clothe  them 
to  correspond  with  it. 

I  have  discussed  the  authorities  for  the  conception 
of  love  which  I  have  ascribed  to  the  ancients  in  the 
preface  to  the  second  edition  of  "An  Egyptian  Princess." 

With  these  lines  I  send  Uarda  into  the  world;  and 
in  them  I  add  my  thanks  to  those  dear  friends  in  whose 
beautiful  home,  embowered  in  green,  bird-haunted  woods, 
I  have  so  often  refreshed  my  spirit  and  recovered  my 
strength,  where  I  now  write  the  last  words  of  this  book. 

Rheinbollerhiitte,  September  22,  1876. 

GEORG  EBERS. 


PREFACE 

TO    THE    FIFTH    GF.RMAN    EDITION. 


THE  earlier  editions  of  "  Uarda"  were  published  in 
such  rapid  succession,  that  no  extensive  changes  in  the 
stereotyped  text  could  be  made;  but  from  the  first  issue, 
I  have  not  ceased  to  correct  it,  and  can  now  present  to 
the  public  this  new  fifth  edition  as  a  "  revised"  one. 

Having  felt  a  constantly  increasing  affection  for 
"Uarda"  during  the  time  I  was  writing,  the  friendly  and 
comprehensive  attention  bestowed  upon  it  by  our 
greatest  critics  and  the  favorable  reception  it  met  with 
in  the  various  classes  of  society,  afforded  me  the  utmost 
pleasure. 

I  owe  the  most  sincere  gratitude  to  the  honored 
gentlemen,  who  called  my  attention  to  certain  errors, 
and  among  them  will  name  particularly  Professor  Paul 
Ascherson  of  Berlin,  and  Dr.  C.  Rohrbach  of  Gotha. 
Both  will  find  their  remarks  regarding  mistakes  in  the 
geographical  location  of  plants,  heeded  in  this  new 
edition. 

The  notes,  after  mature  deliberation,  have  been 
placed  at  the  foot  of  the  pages  instead  of  at  the  end  of 
the  book. 

So  many  criticisms  concerning  the  title  "Uarda" 
have  recently  reached  my  ears,  that,  rather  by  way  of 
explanation  than  apology,  I  will  here  repeat  what  I  said 
in  the  preface  to  the  third  edition. 

This  title  has  its  own  history,  and  the  more  difficult 
it  would  be  for  me  to  defend  it,  the  more  ready  I  am  to 
allow  an  advocate  to  speak  for  me,  an  advocate  who 


VI  PREFACE. 

bears  a  name  no  less  distinguished  than  that  of  G.  E. 
Lessing,  who  says: 

"Nanine?  (by  Voltaire,  1749).  What  sort  of  title 
is  that?  What  thoughts  does  it  awake  ?  Neither  more 
nor  less  than  a  title  should  arouse.  A  title  must  not 
be  a  bill  of  fare.  The  less  it  betrays  of  the  contents, 
the  better  it  is.  Author  and  spectator  are  both  satis- 
fied, and  the  ancients  rarely  gave  their  comedies  any- 
thing but  insignificant  names." 

This  may  be  the  case  with  "  Uarda,"  whose  charac- 
ter is  less  prominent  than  some  others,  it  is  true,  but 
whose  sorrows  direct  the  destinies  of  my  other  heroes 
and  heroines. 

Why  should  I  conceal  the  fact  ?  The  character  of 
"  Uarda"  and  the  present  story  have  grown  out  of  the 
memory  of  a  Fellah  girl,  half  child,  half  maiden,  whom 
I  saw  suffer  and  die  in  a  hut  at  Abd  el  Qurnah  in  the 
Necropolis  of  Thebes. 

I  still  persist  in  the  conviction  I  have  so  frequently 
expressed,  the  conviction  that  the  fundamental  traits  of 
the  life  of  the  soul  have  undergone  very  trivial  modifi- 
cations among  civilized  nations  in  all  times  and  ages, 
but  will  endeavor  to  explain  the  contrary  opinion,  held 
by  my  opponents,  by  calling  attention  to  the  circum- 
stance, that  the  expression  of  these  emotions  show  con- 
siderable variations  among  different  peoples,  and  at  dif- 
ferent epochs.  I  believe  that  Juvenal,  one  of  the 
ancient  writers  who  best  understood  human  nature,  was 
right  in  saying: 

"Nil  erit  ulterius,  quod  nostris  moribus  addat 
Posteritas:  eadem  cupient  facientque  minores." 

Leipsic,  October  isth,  1877. 

CEORG  EBERS, 


U   A    R   D   A  . 


CHAPTER  I. 

BY  the  walls  of  Thebes — the  old  city  of  a  hundred 
gates — the  Nile  spreads  to  a  broad  river;  the  heights, 
which  follow  the  stream  on  both  sides,  here  take  a  more 
decided  outline;  solitary,  almost  cone-shaped  peaks 
stand  out  sharply  from  the  level  background  of  the 
many-colored  limestone  hills,  on  which  no  palm-tree 
flourishes  and  in  which  no  humble  desert-plant  can 
strike  root.  Rocky  crevasses  and  gorges  cut  more 
or  less  deeply  into  the  mountain  range,  and  up  to  its 
ridge  extends  the  desert,  destructive  of  all  life,  with 
sand  and  stones,  with  rocky  cliffs  and  reef-like,  desert 
hills. 

Behind  the  eastern  range  the  desert  spreads  to  the 
Red  Sea ;  behind  the  western  it  stretches  without  limit, 
into  infinity.  In  the  belief  of  the  Egyptians  beyond  it 
lay  the  region  of  the  dead. 

Between  these  two  ranges  of  hills,  which  serve  as 
walls  or  ramparts  to  keep  back  the  desert-sand,  flows 
the  fresh  and  bounteous  Nile,  bestowing  blessing  and 
abundance ;  at  once  the  father  and  the  cradle  of  millions 
of  beings.  On  each  shore  spreads  the  wide  plain  of 
black  and  fruitful  soil,  and  in  the  depths  many-shaped 
creatures,  in  coats  of  mail  or  scales,  swarm  and  find 
subsistence. 


0  UARDA. 

The  lotos  floats  on  the  mirror  of  the  waters,  and 
among  the  papyrus  reeds  by  the  shore  water- fowl  in- 
numerable build  their  nests.  Between  the  river  and 
the  mountain-range  lie  fields,  which  after  the  seed-time 
are  of  a  shining  blue-green,  and  towards  the  time  of 
harvest  glow  like  gold.  Near  the  brooks  and  water- 
wheels  here  and  there  stands  a  shady  sycamore;  and 
date-palms,  carefully  tended,  group  themselves  in  groves. 
The  fruitful  plain,  watered  and  manured  every  year  by 
the  inundation,  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  sandy  desert-hills 
behind  it,  and  stands  out  like  a  garden  flower-bed  from 
the  gravel-path. 

In  the  fourteenth  century  before  Christ — for  to  so 
remote  a  date  we  must  direct  the  thoughts  of  the 
reader — impassable  limits  had  been  set  by  the  hand  of 
man,  in  many  places  in  Thebes,  to  the  inroads  of  the 
water;  high  dykes  of  stone  and  embankments  protected 
the  streets  and  squares,  the  temples  and  the  palaces, 
from  the  overflow. 

Canals  that  could  be  tightly  closed  up  led  from  the 
dykes  to  the  land  within,  and  smaller. branch-cuttings  to 
the  gardens  of  Thebes. 

On  the  right,  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  rose  the 
buildings  of  the  far-famed  residence  of  the  Pharaohs. 
Close  by  the  river  stood  the  immense  and  gaudy 
Temples  of  the  city  of  Amon ;  behind  these  and  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  Eastern  hills — indeed  at  their 
very  foot  and  partly  even  on  the  soil  of  the  desert — were 
the  palaces  of  the  King  and  nobles,  and  the  shady 
streets  in  which  the  high  narrow  houses  of  the  citizens 
stood  in  close  rows. 

Life  was  gay  and  busy  in  the  streets  of  the 
capital  of  the  Pharaohs. 


UARDA.  7 

The  western  shore  of  the  Nile  showed  a  quite  dif- 
ferent scene.  Here  too  there  was  no  lack  of  stately 
buildings  or  thronging  men;  but  while  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  river  there  was  a  compact  mass  of  houses, 
and  the  citizens  went  cheerfully  and  openly  about 
their  day's  work,  on  this  side  there  were  solitary 
splendid  structures,  round  which  little  houses  and  huts 
seemed  to  cling  as  children  cling  to  the  protection 
of  a  mother.  And  these  buildings  lay  in  detached 
groups. 

Any  one  climbing  the  hill  and  looking  down  would 
form  the  notion  that  there  lay  below  him  a  number  of 
neighboring  villages,  each  with  its  lordly  manor  house. 
Looking  from  the  plain  up  to  the  precipice  of  the 
western  hills,  hundreds  of  closed  portals  could  be  seen, 
some  solitary,  others  closely  ranged  in  rows;  a  great 
number  of  them  towards  the  foot  of  the  slope,  yet 
more  half-way  up,  and  a  few  at  a  considerable  height. 

And  even  more  dissimilar  were  the  slow-moving, 
solemn  groups  in  the  roadways  on  this  side,  and 
the  cheerful,  confused  throng  yonder.  There,  on  the 
eastern  shore,  all  were  in  eager  pursuit  of  labor  or 
recreation,  stirred  by  pleasure  or  by  grief,  active  in  deed 
and  speech;  here,  in  the  west,  little  was  spoken,  a  spell 
seemed  to  check  the  footstep  of  the  wanderer,  a  pale 
hand  to  sadden  the  bright  glance  of  every  eye,  and  to 
banish  the  smile  from  every  lip. 

And  yet  many  a  gaily-dressed  bark  stopped  at  the 
shore,  there  was  no  lack  of  minstrel  bands,  grand 
processions  passed  on  to  the  western  heights;  but  the 
Nile  boats  bore  the  dead,  the  songs  sung  here  were 
songs  of  lamentation,  and  the  processions  consisted  of 
mourners  following  the  sarcophagus. 


8  UARDA. 

We  are  standing  on  the  soil  of  the  City  of  the 
Dead  of  Thebes. 

Nevertheless  even  here  nothing  is  wanting  for  return 
and  revival,  for  to  the  Egyptian  his  dead  died  not. 
He  closed  his  eyes,  he  bore  him  to  the  Necropolis,  to 
the  house  of  the  embalmer,  or  Kolchytes,  and  then  to 
the  grave ;  but  he  knew  that  the  souls  of  the  departed 
lived  on ;  that  the  justified  absorbed  into  Osiris  floated 
over  the  Heavens  in  the  vessel  of  the  Sun ;  that  they 
appeared  on  earth  in  the  form  they  choose  to  take  upon 
them,  and  that  they  might  exert  influence  on  the  cur- 
rent of  the  lives  of  the  survivors.  So  he  took  care  to 
give  a  worthy  interment  to  his  dead,  above  all  to  have 
the  body  embalmed  so  as  to  endure  long :  and  had 
fixed  times  to  bring  fresh  offerings  for  the  dead  of 
flesh  and  fowl,  with  drink-offerings  and  sweet-smelling 
essences,  and  vegetables  and  flowers. 

Neither  at  the  obsequies  nor  at  the  offerings 
might  the  ministers  of  the  gods  be  absent,  and  the 
silent  City  of  the  Dead  was  regarded  as  a  favored 
sanctuary  in  which  to  establish  schools  and  dwellings 
for  the  learned. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  in  the  temples  and  on 
the  site  of  the  Necropolis,  large  communities  of  priests 
dwelt  together,  and  close  to  the  extensive  embalming 
houses  lived  numerous  Kolchytes,  who  handed  down 
the  secrets  of  their  art  from  father  to  son. 

Besides  these  there  were  other  manufactories  and 
shops.  In  the  former,  sarcophagi  of  stone  and  of  wood, 
linen  bands  for  enveloping  mummies,  and  amulets  for 
decorating  them,  were  made ;  in  the  latter,  merchants 
kept  spices  and  essences,  flowers,  fruits,  vegetables  and 
pastry  for  sale.  Calves,  gazelles,  goats,  geese  and 


UARDA.  9 

other  fowl,  were  fed  on  enclosed  meadow-plats,  and 
the  mourners  betook  themselves  thither  to  select  what 
they  needed  from  among  the  beasts  pronounced  by  the 
priests  to  be  clean  for  sacrifice,  and  to  have  them 
sealed  with  the  sacred  seal.  Many  bought  only  part 
of  a  victim  at  the  shambles — the  poor  could  not  even 
do  this.  They  bought  only  colored  cakes  in  the 
shape  of  beasts,  which  symbolically  took  the  place  of 
the  calves  and  geese  which  their  means  were  unable 
to  procure.  In  the  handsomest  shops  sat  servants  of 
the  priests,  who  received  forms  written  on  rolls  of 
papyrus  which  were  filled  up  in  the  writing  room  of 
the  temple  with  those  sacred  verses  which  the  departed 
spirit  must  know  and  repeat  to  ward  off  the  evil  genius 
of  the  deep,  to  open  the  gate  of  the  under  world,  and 
to  be  held  righteous  before  Osiris  and  the  forty-two 
assessors  of  the  subterranean  court  of  justice. 

What  took  place  within  the  temples  was  concealed 
from  view,  for  each  was  surrounded  by  a  high  enclosing 
wall  with  lofty,  carefully-closed  portals,  which  were 
only  opened  when  a  chorus  of  priests  came  out  to 
sing  a  pious  hymn,  in  the  morning  to  Horus  the  rising 
god,  and  in  the  evening  to  Turn  the  descending  god.* 

As  soon  as  the  evening  hymn  of  the  priests  was 
heard,  the  Necropolis  Avas  deserted,  for  the  mourners 
and  those  who  were  visiting  the  graves  were  required 
by  this  time  to  return  to  their  boats  and  to  quit  the 
City  of  the  Dead.  Crowds  of  men  who  had  marched 
in  the  processions  of  the  west  bank  hastened  in  disorder 

*  The  course  of  the  Sun  was  compared  to  that  of  the  life  of  Man.  He 
rose  as  the  child  Horus,  grew  by  midday  to  the  hero  Ra,  who  conquered 
the  Uraeus  snake  for  his  diadem,  and  by  evening  was  an  old  Man,  Turn.  Light 
had  been  born  of  darkness,  hence  Turn  was  regarded  as  older  than  Horus  and 
the  other  gods  uf  light. 

2 


10  UARDA. 

to  the  shore,  driven  on  by  the  body  of  watchmen  who 
took  it  in  turns  to  do  this  duty  and  to  protect  the 
graves  against  robbers.  The  merchants  closed  their 
booths,  the  embalmers  and  workmen  ended  their  day's 
work  and  retired  to  their  houses,  the  priests  returned 
to  the  temples,  and  the  inns  were  filled  with  guests, 
who  had  come  hither  on  long  pilgrimages  from  a 
distance,  and  who  preferred  passing  the  night  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  dead  whom  they  had  come  to  visit, 
to  going  across  to  the  bustling  noisy  city  on  the 
farther  shore. 

The  voices  of  the  singers  and  of  the  wailing  women 
were  hushed,  even  the  song  of  the  sailors  on  the  num- 
berless ferry  boats  from  the  western  shore  to  Thebes 
died  away,  its  faint  echo  was  now  and  then  borne 
across  on  the  evening  air,  and  at  last  all  was  still. 

A  cloudless  sky  spread  over  the  silent  City  of  the 
Dead,  now  and  then  darkened  for  an  instant  by  the 
swiftly  passing  shade  of  a  bat  returning  to  its  home  in 
a  cave  or  cleft  of  the  rock  after  flying  the  whole  even- 
ing near  the  Nile  to  catch  flies,  to  drink,  and  so  pre- 
pare itself  for  the  next  day's  sleep.  From  time  to 
time  black  forms  with  long  shadows  glided  over  the 
still  illuminated  plain — the  Jackals,  who  at  this  hour 
frequented  the  shore  to  slake  their  thirst,  and  often 
fearlessly  showed  themselves  in  troops  in  the .  vicinity 
of  the  pens  of  geese  and  goats. 

It  was  forbidden  to  hunt  these  robbers,  as  they 
were  accounted  sacred  to  the  god  Anubis,*  the  tutelary 

*  The  jackal-headed  god  Anubis  was  the  son  of  Osiris  and  Ncphthys,  and 
the  jackal  was  sacred  to  him.  In  the  earliest  ages  even  he  is  prominent  in  the 
nether  world.  He  conducts  the  mummifying  process,  preserves  the  corpse, 
guards  the  Necropolis,  and,  as  Hermes  Psychopompos  (Hermanubis),  opens 
the  way  for  the  souls.  According  to  Plutarch  "  He  is  the  watch  of  the  gods 
as  the  dog  is  the  watch  of  men." 


UARDA.  II 

of  sepulchres ;  and  indeed  they  did  little  mischief,  for 
they  found  abundant  food  in  the  tombs. 

The  remnants  of  the  meat  offerings  from  the  altars 
were  consumed  by  them  ;  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of  the 
devotees,  who,  when  they  found  that  by  the  following  day 
the  meat  had  disappeared,  believed  that  it  had  been  ac- 
cepted and  taken  away  by  the  spirits  of  the  underworld. 

They  also  did  the  duty  of  trusty  watchers,  for  they 
were  a  dangerous  foe  for  any  intruder  who,  under  the 
shadow  of  the  night,  might  attempt  to  violate  a  grave. 

Thus — on  that  summer  evening  of  the  year  1352 
B.  c.,  when  we  invite  the  reader  to  accompany  us  to 
the  Necropolis  of  Thebes — after  the  priests'  hymn  had 
died  away,  all  was  still  in  the  City  of  the  Dead. 

The  soldiers  on  guard  were  already  returning  from 
their  first  round  when  suddenly,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Necropolis,  a  dog  barked  loudly ;  soon  a  second 
took  up  the  cry,  a  third,  a  fourth.  The  captain  of  the 
watch  called  to  his  men  to  halt,  and,  as  the  cry  of  the 
dogs  spread  and  grew  louder  every  minute,  commanded 
them  to  march  towards  the  north. 

The  little  troop  had  reached  the  high  dyke  which 
divided  the  west  bank  of  the  Nile  from  a  branch  canal, 
and  looked  from  thence  over  the  plain  as  far  as  the 
river  and  to  the  north  of  the  Necropolis.  Once  more 
the  word  to  "  halt "  was  given,  and  as  the  guard  per- 
ceived the  glare  of  torches  in  the  direction  where  the 
dogs  were  barking  loudest,  they  hurried  forward  and 
came  up  with  the  author  of  the  disturbance  near  the 
Pylon*  of  the  temple  erected  by  Seti  I.,  the  deceased 
father  of  the  reigning  King  Rameses  II. 

*  The  two  pyramidal  towers  joined  by  a  gateway  which  formed  the 
entrance  to  an  Egyptian  temple  were  called  the  Pylon. 


12  TJARDA. 

The  moon  was  up,  and  her  pale  light  flooded  the 
stately  structure,  while  the  walls  glowed  with  the 
ruddy  smoky  light  of  the  torches  which  flared  in  the 
hands  of  black  attendants. 

A  man  of  sturdy  build,  in  sumptuous  dress,  was 
knocking  at  the  brass-covered  temple  door  with  the 
metal  handle  of  a  whip,  so  violently  that  the  blows 
rang  far  and  loud  through  the  night.  Near  him  stood 
a  litter,  and  a  chariot,  to  which  were  harnessed  two 
fine  horses.  In  the  litter  sat  a  young  woman,  and  in 
the  carriage,  next  to  the  driver,  was  the  tall  figure  of 
a  lady.  Several  men  of  the  upper  classes  and  many 
servants  stood  around  the  litter  and  the  chariot.  Few 
words  were  exchanged ;  the  whole  attention  of  the 
strangely  lighted  groups  seemed  concentrated  on  the 
temple-gate.  The  darkness  concealed  the  features  of 
individuals,  but  the  mingled  light  of  the  moon  and  the 
torches  was  enough  to  reveal  to  the  gate-keeper,  who 
looked  down  on  the  party  from  a  tower  of  the  Pylon, 
that  it  was  composed  of  persons  of  the  highest  rank ; 
nay,  perhaps  of  the  royal  family. 

He  called  aloud  to  the  one  who  knocked,  and 
asked  him  what  was  his  will. 

He  looked  up,  and  in  a  voice  so  rough  and  im- 
perious, that  the  lady  in  the  litter  shrank  in  horror  as 
its  tones  suddenly  violated  the  place  of  the  dead,  he 
cried  out — "  How  long  are  we  to  wait  here  for  you — 
you  dirty  hound  ?  Come  down  and  open  the  door 
and  then  ask  questions.  If  the  torch-light  is  not 
bright  enough  to  show  you  who  is  waiting,  I  will  score 
our  name  on  your  shoulders  with  my  whip,  and  teach 
you  how  to  receive  princely  visitors." 

While  the  porter  muttered  an  unintelligible  answer 


UARDA.  13 

and  came  down  the  steps  within  to  open  the  door, 
the  lady  in  the  chariot  turned  to  her  impatient  com- 
panion and  said  in  a  pleasant  but  yet  decided  voice, 
"  You  forget,  Paaker,  that  you  are  back  again  in  Egypt, 
and  that  here  you  have  to  deal  not  with  the  wild 
Schasu,*  but  with  friendly  priests  of  whom  we  have  to 
solicit  a  favor.  We  have  always  had  to  lament  your 
roughness,  which  seems  to  me  very  ill-suited  to  the 
unusual  circumstances  under  which  we  approach  this 
sanctuary." 

Although  these  words  were  spoken  in  a  tone  rather 
of  regret  than  of  blame,  they  wounded  the  sensibilities 
of  the  person  addressed;  his  wide  nostrils  began  to 
twitch  ominously,  he  clenched  his  right  hand  over  the 
handle  of  his  whip,  and,  while  he  seemed  to  be  bowing 
humbly,  he  struck  such  a  heavy  blow  on  the  bare  leg 
of  a  slave  who  was  standing  near  to  him,  an  old 
Ethiopian,  that  he  shuddered  as  if  from  sudden  cold, 
though — knowing  his  lord  only  too  well — he  let  no 
cry  of  pain  escape  him.  Meanwhile  the  gate-keeper 
had  opened  the  door,  and  with  him  a  tall  young  priest 
stepped  out  into  the  open  air  to  ask  the  will  of  the 
intruders. 

Paaker  would  have  seized  the  opportunity  of  speak- 
ing, but  the  lady  in  the  chariot  interposed  and  said : 

"  I  am  Bent-Anat,  the  daughter  of  the  King,  and 
this  lady  in  the  litter  is  Nefert,  the  wife  of  the  noble 
Mena,  the  charioteer  of  my  father.  WTe  were  going  in 
company  with  these  gentlemen  to  the  north-west  valley 
of  the  Necropolis  to  see  the  new  works  there.  You 
know  the  narrow  pass  in  the  rocks  which  leads  up  the 
gorge.  On  the  way  home  I  myself  held  the  reins  and 

*  A  Semitic  race  of  robbers  in  the  east  of  Egypt. 


14  UARDA. 

I  had  the  misfortune  to  drive  over  a  girl  who  sat  by 
the  road  with  a  basket  full  of  flowers,  and  to  hurt  her 
— to  hurt  her  very  badly  I  am  afraid.  The  wife  of 
Mena  with  her  own  hands  bound  up  the  child,  and 
then  we  carried  her  to  her  father's  house — he  is  a  para- 
schites* — Pinem  is  his  name.  I  know  not  whether  he 
is  known  to  you." 

"Thou  hast  been  into  his  house,  Princess?" 

"  Indeed,  I  was  obliged,  holy  father,"  she  replied, 
"  I  know  of  course  that  I  have  defiled  myself  by  crossing 
the  threshold  of  these  people,  but — " 

"  But,"  cried  the  wife  of  Mena,  raising  herself  in  her 
litter,  "  Bent-Anat  can  in  a  day  be  purified  by  thee  or 
by  her  house-priest,  while  she  can  hardly — or  perhaps 
never — restore  the  child  whole  and  sound  again  to  the 
unhappy  father." 

"  Still,  the  den  of  a  paraschites  is  above  every  thing 
unclean,"  said  the  chamberlain  Penbesa,  master  of  the 
ceremonies  to  the  princess,  interrupting  the  wife  of  Mena, 
"  and  I  did  not  conceal  my  opinion  when  Bent-Anat 
announced  her  intention  of  visiting  the  accursed  hole  in 
person.  I  suggested,"  he  continued,  turning  to  the  priest, 
"  that  she  should  let  the  girl  be  taken  home,  and  send 
a  royal  present  to  the  father." 

"  And  the  princess  ?"  asked  the  priest. 

"  She  acted,  as  she  always  does,  on  her  own  judg- 
ment," replied  the  master  of  the  ceremonies. 

"  And  that  always  hits  on  the  right  course,"  cried 
the  wife  of  Mena. 

"  Would  to  God  it  were  so  !"  said  the  princess  in  a 
subdued  voice.  Then  she  continued,  addressing  the 

*  One  who  opened  the  bodies  of  the  dead  to  prepare  them  for  being  em- 
balmed. 


UARDA.  15 

priest,  "Thou  knowest  the  will  of  the  Gods  and  the 
hearts  of  men,  holy  father,  and  I  myself  know  that  I 
give  alms  willingly  and  help  the  poor  even  when  there 
is  none  to  plead  for  them  but  their  poverty.  But  after 
what  has  occurred  here,  and  to  these  unhappy  people,  it 
is  I  who  come  as  a  suppliant." 

"Thou?"    said  the  chamberlain. 

"  I,'  answered  the  princess  with  decision.  The  priest 
who  up  to  this  moment  had  remained  a  silent  witness 
of  the  scene  raised  his  right  hand  as  in  blessing  and 
spoke. 

"Thou  hast  done  well.  The  Hathors  fashioned 
thy  heart*  and  the  Lady  of  Truth  guides  it.  Thou 
hast  broken  in  on  our  night-prayers  to  request  us  to 
send  a  doctor  to  the  injured  girl?" 

"Thou  hast  said." 

"I  will  ask  the  high-priest  to  send  the  best  leech 
for  outward  wounds  immediately  to  the  child.  But 
where  is  the  house  of  the  paraschites  Pinem  ?  I  do  not 
know  it." 

"  Northwards  from  the  terrace  of  Hatasu,**  close  to 
— ;  but  I  will  charge  one  of  my  attendants  to  conduct 
the  leech.  Besides,  I  want  to  know  early  in  the  morn- 
ing how  the  child  is  doing. — Paaker." 

The  rough  visitor,  whom  we  already  know,  thus 
called  upon,  bowed  to  the  earth,  his  arms  hanging  by 
his  sides,  and  asked: 

*  Hathor  was  Isis  under  a  substantial  form.  She  is  the  goddess  of  the 
pure,  light  heaven,  and  bears  the  Sun-disk  between  cow-horns  on  a  cow's  head 
or  on  a  human  head  with  cow's  ears.  She  was  named  the  Fair,  and  all  the  pure 
joys  of  life  are  in  her  gift.  Later  she  was  regarded  as  a  Muse  who  beautifies 
life  with  enjoyment,  love,  song,  and  the  dance.  She  appears  as  a  good  fairy  by 
the  cradle  of  children  and  decides  their  lot  in  life.  She  bears  many  names; 
and  several,  generally  seven,  Hathors  were  represented,  who  personified  the 
attributes  ;<nd  influence  of  the  goddess. 

**  A  great  queen  of  the  iSth  dynasty  and  guardian  of  two  Pharaohs. 


l6  UARDA. 

"What  dost  thou  command?" 

"I  appoint  you  guide  to  the  physician,"  said  the 
princess.  "  It  will  be  easy  to  the  king's  pioneer*  to 
find  the  little  half-hidden  house  again — besides,  you 
share  my  guilt,  for,"  she  added,  turning  to  the  priest,  "  I 
confess  that  the  misfortune  happened  because  I  would 
try  with  my  horses  to  overtake  Paaker's  Syrian  racers, 
which  he  declared  to  be  swifter  than  the  Egyptian 
horses.  It  was  a  mad  race." 

"And  Amon  be  praised  that  it  ended  as  it  did," 
exclaimed  the  master  of  the  ceremonies.  "  Paaker's 
chariot  lies  dashed  in  pieces  in  the  valley,  and  his  best 
horse  is  badly  hurt." 

"  He  will  see  to  him  when  he  has  taken  the  phy- 
sician to  the  house  of  the  paraschites,"  said  the  prin- 
cess. "  Dost  thou  know,  Penbesa — thou  anxious  guar- 
dian of  a  thoughtless  girl — that  to-day  for  the  first  time 
I  am  glad  that  my  father  is  at  the  war  in  distant  Sati- 
land?"** 

"He  would  not  have  welcomed  us  kindly!"  said  the 
master  of  the  ceremonies,  laughing. 

"But  the  leech,  the  leech!"  cried  Bent-Anat. 
"Paaker,  it  is  settled  then.  You  will  conduct  him,  and 
bring  us  to-morrow  morning  news  of  the  wounded 
girl." 

Paaker  bowed;  the  princess  bowed  her  head;  the 
priest  and  his  companions,  who  meanwhile  had  come 
out  of  the  temple  and  joined  him,  raised  their  hands  in 
blessing,  and  the  belated  procession  moved  towards  the 
Nile. 

*  The  title  here  rendered  pioneer  was  that  of  an  officer  whose  duties  were 
those  at  once  of  a  scout  and  of  a  Quarter-Master  Oeneral.  In  unknown  and 
comparatively  savage  countries  it  was  an  onerous  post.  Translator. 

*"  Asia. 


UARDA.  iy 

Paaker  remained  alone  with  his  two  slaves;  the 
commission  with  which  the  princess  had  charged  him 
greatly  displeased  him.  So  long  as  the  moonlight  en- 
abled him  to  distinguish  the  litter  of  Mena's  wife,  he 
gazed  after  it ;  then  he  endeavored  to  recollect  the 
position  of  the  hut  of  the  paraschites.  The  captain  of 
the  watch  still  stood  with  the  guard  at  the  gate  of  the 
temple. 

"  Do  you  know  the  dwelling  of  Pinem  the  paraschites?" 
asked  Paaker. 

"What  do  you  want  with  him?" 

"That  is  no  concern  of  yours,"  retorted  Paaker. 

"Lout!"  exclaimed  the  captain,  "left  face  and  for- 
wards, my  men." 

"  Halt!"  cried  Paaker  in  a  rage.  "  I  am  the  king's 
chief  pioneer." 

"Then  you  will  all  the  more  easily  find  the  way 
back  by  which  you  came.  March." 

The  words  were  followed  by  a  peal  of  many-voiced 
laughter :  the  re-echoing  insult  so  confounded  Paaker 
that  he  dropped  his  whip  on  the  ground.  The  slave, 
whom  a  short  time  since  he  had  struck  with  it,  humbly 
picked  it  up  and  then  followed  his  lord  into  the  fore- 
court of  the  temple.  Both  attributed  the  titter,  which 
they  still  could  hear  without  being  able  to  detect  its 
origin,  to  wandering  spirits.  But  the  mocking  tones 
had  been  heard  too  by  the  old  gate-keeper,  and  the 
laughers  were  better  known  to  him  than  to  the  king's 
pioneer ;  he  strode  with  heavy  steps  to  the  door  of 
the  temple  through  the  black  shadow  of  the  pylon,  and 
striking  blindly  before  him  called  out — 


l8  UARDA. 

"Ah!  you  good-for-nothing  brood  of  Seth.*  You 
gallows-birds  and  brood  of  hell — I  am  coming." 

The  giggling  ceased  ;  a  few  youthful  figures  appeared 
in  the  moonlight,  the  old  man  pursued  them  panting, 
and,  after  a  short  chase,  a  troop  of  youths  fled  back 
through  the  temple  gate. 

The  door-keeper  had  succeeded  in  catching  one 
miscreant,  a  boy  of  thirteen,  and  held  him  so  tight  by 
the  ear  that  his  pretty  head  seemed  to  have  grown  in 
a  horizontal  direction  from  his  shoulders. 

"  I  will  take  you  before  the  scnool-master,  you  plague- 
of-locusts,  you  swarm  of  bats!"  cried  the  old  man  out  of 
breath.  But  the  dozen  of  school-boys,  who  had  availed 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  break  out  of  bounds, 
gathered  coaxing  round  him,  with  words  of  repentance, 
though  every  eye  sparkled  with  delight  at  the  fun  they 
had  had,  and  of  which  no  one  could  deprive  them  ;  and 
when  the  biggest  of  them  took  the  old  man's  chin,  and 
promised  to  give  him  the  wine  which  his  mother  was 
to  send  him  next  day  for  the  week's  use,  the  porter  let 
go  his  prisoner — who  tried  to  rub  the  pain  out  of  his 
burning  ear — and  cried  out  in  harsher  tones  than  be- 
fore : 

"  You  will  pay  me,  will  you,  to  let  you  off!  Do  you 
think  I  will  let  your  tricks  pass?  You  little  know  this 
old  man.  I  will  complain  to  the  Gods,  not  to  the 
school-master;  and  as  for  your  wine,  youngster,  I  will 
offer  it  as  a  libation,  that  heaven  may  forgive  you." 


*  The  Typhon  of  the  Greeks.  The  enemy  of  Osiris,  of  truth,  good  and' 
mirity.  Discord  and  strife  in  nature.  Horns  who  fights  against  him  for  his 
"atlicr  Osiris,  can  throw  him  and  stun  him,  but  never  annihilate  him. 


UARDA. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  temple  where,  in  the  fore-court,  Paaker  was 
waiting,  and  where  the  priest  had  disappeared  to  call 
the  leech,  was  called  the  "  House  of  Seti  "*  and  was 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  City  of  the  Dead.  Only  that 
magnificent  building  of  the  time  of  the  deposed  royal 
race  of  the  reigning  king's  grandfather — that  temple 
which  had  been  founded  by  Thotmes  III.,  and  whose 
gate- way  Amenophis  III.  had  adorned  Avith  immense 
colossal  statues** — exceeded  it  in  the  extent  of  its  plan; 
in  every  other  respect  it  held  the  pre-eminence  among 
the  sanctuaries  of  the  Necropolis.  Rameses  I.  had 
founded  it  shortly  after  he  succeeded  in  seizing  the 
Egyptian  throne;  and  his  yet  greater  son  Seti  carried 
on  the  erection,  in  which  the  service  of  the  dead  for  the 
Manes  of  the  members  of  the  new  royal  family  was 
conducted,  and  the  high  festivals  held  in  honor  of  the 
Gods  of  the  under-world.  Great  sums  had  been  ex- 
pended for  its  establishment,  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  priesthood  of  its  sanctuary,  and  the  support  of  the 
institutions  connected  with  it.  These  were  intended  to 
be  equal  to  the  great  original  foundations  of  priestly 
learning  at  Heliopolis  and  Memphis;  they  were  regu- 
lated on  the  same  pattern,  and  with  the  object  of  rais- 
ing the  new  royal  residence  of  Upper  Egypt,  namely 
Thebes,  above  the  capitals  of  Lower  Egypt  in  regard 
to  philosophical  distinction. 

One  of  the  most  important   of  these  foundations 

*  It  is  still  stringing,  and  known  as  the  temple  of  Qurnah. 
**  The  well-known  colossal  statues,  of  which  that  which  stands  to  the  north 
is  the  famous  musical  statue,  or  Pillar  of  Memnon. 


20  UARDA. 

was  a  very  celebrated  school  of  learning.*  First  there 
was  the  high-school,  in  which  priests,  physicians,  judges, 
mathematicians,  astronomers,  grammarians,  and  other 
learned  men,  not  only  had  the  benefit  of  instruction, 
but,  subsequently,  when  they  had  won  admission  to  the 
highest  ranks  of  learning,  and  attained  the  dignity  of 
"  Scribes,"  were  maintained  at  the  cost  of  the  king,  and 
enabled  to  pursue  their  philosophical  speculations  and 
researches,  in  freedom  from  all  care,  and  in  the  society  of 
fellow-workers  of  equal  birth  and  identical  interests. 

An  extensive  library,  in  which  thousands  of  papyrus- 
rolls  were  preserved,  and  to  which  a  manufactory  of 
papyrus  was  attached,  was  at  the  disposal  of  the  learned; 
and  some  of  them  were  intrusted  with  the  education  of 
the  younger  disciples,  who  had  been  prepared  in  the  ele- 
mentary school,  which  was  also  dependent  on  the  House 
— or  university — of  Seti.  The  lower  school  was  open 
to  every  son  of  a  free  citizen,  and  was  often  frequented 
by  several  hundred  boys,  who  also  found  night-quarters 
there.  The  parents  were  of  course  required  either  to 
pay  for  their  maintenance,  or  to  send  due  supplies  of 
provisions  for  the  keep  of  their  children  at  school. 

In  a  separate  building  lived  the  temple-boarders, 
a  few  sons  of  the  noblest  families,  who  were  brought  up 
by  the  priests  at  a  great  expense  to  their  parents. 

Seti  L,  the  founder  of  this  establishment,  had  had 
his  own  sons,  not  excepting  Rameses,  his  successor, 
educated  here. 

The  elementary  schools  were  strictly  ruled,  and  the 
rod  played  so  large  a  part  in  them,  that  a  pedagogue 
could  record  this  saying:  "The  scholar's  ears  are  at  his 
back:  when  he  is  flogged  then  he  hears." 

*  Every  detail  of  this  description  of  an  Egyptian  school  is  derived  from 
sources  dating  from  the  reign  of  Rameses  II.  and  his  successor,  Merneptah. 


UARDA.  2 1 

Those  youths  who  wished  to  pass  up  from  the 
lower  to  the  high-school  had  to  undergo  an  examination. 
The  student,  when  he  had  passed  it,  could  choose  a 
master  from  among  the  learned  of  the  higher  grades, 
who  undertook  to  be  his  philosophical  guide,  and  to 
whom  he  remained  attached  all  his  life  through,  as  a 
client  to  his  patron.  He  could  obtain  the  degree  of 
"Scribe"  and  qualify  for  public  office  by  a  second  ex- 
amination. 

Near  to  these  schools  of  learning  there  stood  also 
a  school  of  art,  in  which  instruction  was  given  to  stu- 
dents who  desired  to  devote  themselves  to  architecture, 
sculpture,  or  painting;  in  these  also  the  learner  might 
choose  his  master. 

Every  teacher  in  these  institutions  belonged  to  the 
priesthood  of  the  House  of  Seti.  It  consisted  of  more 
than  eight  hundred  members,  divided  into  five  classes, 
and  conducted  by  three  so-called  Prophets. 

The  first  prophet  was  the  high-priest  of  the  House 
of  Seti,  and  at  the  same  time  the  superior  of  all  the 
thousands  of  upper  and  under  servants  of  the  divinities 
which  belonged  to  the  City  of  the  Dead  of  Thebes. 

The  temple  of  Seti  proper  was  a  massive  structure 
of  limestone.  A  row  of  Sphinxes  led  from  the  Nile 
to  the  surrounding  wall,  and  to  the  first  vast  pro-pylon, 
which  formed  the  entrance  to  a  broad  fore-court,  en- 
closed on  the  two  sides  by  colonnades,  and  beyond 
which  stood  a  second  gate-way.  When  he  had  passed 
through  this  door,  which  stood  between  two  towers,  in 
shape  like  truncated  pyramids,  the  stranger  came  to  a 
second  court  resembling  the  first,  closed  at  the  farther 
end  by  a  noble  row  of  pillars,  which  formed  part  of  the 
central  temple  itself. 


22  UARDA. 

The  innermost  and  last  was  dimly  lighted  by  a  few 
lamps. 

Behind  the  temple  of  Seti  stood  large  square  struc- 
tures of  brick  of  the  Nile  mud,  which  however  had  a 
handsome  and  decorative  effect,  as  the  humble  material 
of  which  they  were  constructed  was  plastered  with  lime, 
and  that  again  was  painted  with  colored  pictures  and 
hieroglyphic  inscriptions. 

The  internal  arrangement  of  all  these  houses  was 
the  same.  In  the  midst  was  an  open  court,  on  to  which 
opened  the  doors  of  the  rooms  of  the  priests  and  philos- 
ophers. On  each  side  of  the  court  was  a  shady,  covered 
colonnade  of  wood,  and  in  the  midst  a  tank  with 
ornamental  plants.  In  the  upper  story  were  the  apart- 
ments for  the  scholars,  and  instruction  was  usually 
given  in  the  paved  courtyard  strewn  with  mats. 

The  most  imposing  was  the  house  of  the  chief  pro- 
phets; it  was  distinguished  by  its  waving  standards 
and  stood  about  a  hundred  paces  behind  the  temple 
of  Seti,  between  a  well  kept  grove  and  a  clear  lake — the 
sacred  tank  of  the  temple;  but  they  only  occupied  it 
while  fulfilling  their  office,  while  the  splendid  houses 
which  they  lived  in  with  their  wives  and  children,  lay 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  in  Thebes  proper. 

The  untimely  visit  to  the  temple  could  not  remain 
unobserved  by  the  colony  of  sages.  Just  as  ants 
when  a  hand  breaks  in  on  their  dwelling,  hurry  rest- 
lessly hither  and  thither,  so  an  unwonted  stir  had 
agitated,  not  the  school-boys  only,  but  the  teachers 
and  the  priests.  They  collected  in  groups  near  the 
outer  walls,  asking  questions  and  hazarding  guesses. 
A  messenger  from  the  king  had  arrived — the  princess 
Bent-Anat  had  been  attacked  by  the  Kolchytes — and 


UARDA.  23 

a  wag  among  the  school-boys  who  had  got  out,  declared 
that  Paaker,  the  king's  pioneer,  had  been  brought  into 
the  temple  by  force  to  be  made  to  learn  to  write 
better.  As  the  subject  of  the  joke  had  formerly  been 
a  pupil  of  the  House  of  Seti,  and  many  delectable 
stories  of  his  errors  in  penmanship  still  survived  in 
the  memory  of  the  later  generation  of  scholars,  this 
information  was  received  with  joyful  applause ;  and  it 
seemed  to  have  a  glimmer  of  probability,  in  spite  of 
the  apparent  contradiction  that  Paaker  filled  one  of 
the  highest  offices  near  the  king,  when  a  grave  young 
priest  declared  that  he  had  seen  the  pioneer  in  the 
forecourt  of  the  temple. 

The  lively  discussion,  the  laughter  and  shouting  of 
the  boys  at  such  an  unwonted  hour,  was  not  unob- 
served by  the  chief  priest. 

This  remarkable  prelate,  Ameni  the  son  of  Nebket, 
a  scion  of  an  old  and  noble  family,  was  far  more  than 
merely  the  independent  head  of  the  temple-brother- 
hood, among  whom  he  was  prominent  for  his  power 
and  wisdom;  for  all  the  priesthood  in  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land  acknowledged  his  supremacy, 
asked  his  advice  in  difficult  cases,  and  never  resisted 
the  decisions  in  spiritual  matters  which  emanated 
from  the  House  of  Seti — that  is  to  say,  from  Ameni. 
He  was  the  embodiment  of  the  priestly  idea ;  and  if  at 
times  he  made  heavy — nay  extraordinary — demands  on 
individual  fraternities,  they  were  submitted  to,  for  it 
was  known  by  experience  that  the  indirect  roads  which 
he  ordered  them  to  follow  all  converged  on  one  goal, 
namely  the  exaltation  of  the  power  and  dignity  of  the 
hierarchy.  The  king  appreciated  this  remarkable  man, 
and  had  long  endeavored  to  attach  him  to  the  court, 


24  UARDA. 

as  keeper  of  the  royal  seal;  but  Ameni  was  not  to  be 
induced  to  give  up  bis  apparently  modest  position;  for 
he  contemned  all  outward  show  and  ostentatious  titles; 
he  ventured  sometimes  to  oppose  a  decided  re- 
sistance to  the  measures  of  the  Pharaoh,*  and  was  not 
minded  to  give  up  his  unlimited  control  of  the  priests 
for  the  sake  of  a  limited  dominion  over  what  seemed  to 
him  petty  external  concerns,  in  the  service  of  a  king 
who  was  only  too  independent  and  hard  to  influence. 

He  regularly  arranged  his  mode  and  habits  of  life 
in  an  exceptional  way. 

Eight  days  out  of  ten  he  remained  in  the  temple 
entrusted  to  his  charge;  two  he  devoted  to  his  family, 
who  lived  on  the  other  bank  of  the  Nile;  but  he  let 
no  one,  not  even  those  nearest  to  him,  know  what 
portion  of  the  ten  days  he  gave  up  to  recreation.  He 
required  only  four  hours  of  sleep.  This  he  usually 
took  in  a  dark  room  which  no  sound  could  reach,  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  day;  never  at  night,  when  the 
coolness  and  quiet  seemed  to  add  to  his  powers  of 
work,  and  when  from  time  to  time  he  could  give  him- 
self up  to  the  study  of  the  starry  heavens. 

All  the  ceremonials  that  his  position  required  of 
him,  the  cleansing,  purification,  shaving,  and  fasting  he 
fulfilled  with  painful  exactitude,  and  the  outer  bespoke 
the  inner  man. 

Ameni  was  entering  on  his  fiftieth  year;  his  figure 
was  tall,  and  had  escaped  altogether  the  stoutness  to 
which  at  that  age  the  Oriental  is  liable.  The  shape 
of  his  smoothly-shaven  head  was  symmetrical  and  of 

*  Pharaoh  is  the  Hebrew  form  of  the  Egyptian  Peraa — or  Phrah.  "The 
great  house,"  "  sublime  house,"  or  "  high  gate  "  is  the  literal  meaning.  Author. 
• — A  remnant  of  the  idea  seems  to  survive  in  the  title  "  The  Sublime  Porte." 

Translator, 


UARDA.  25 

a  long  oval;  his  forehead  was  neither  broad  nor  high, 
but  his  profile  was  unusually  delicate,  and  his  face ' 
striking;  his  lips  were  thin  and  dry,  and  his  large  and 
piercing  eyes,  though  neither  fiery  nor  brilliant,  and 
usually  cast  down  to  the  ground  under  his  thick  eye- 
brows, were  raised  with  a  full,  clear,  dispassionate 
gaze  when  it  was  necessary  to  see  and  to  examine. 

The  poet  of  the  House  of  Seti,  the  young  Pentaur, 
who  knew  these  eyes,  had  celebrated  them  in  song, 
and  had  likened  them  to  a  well-disciplined  army 
which  the  general  allows  to  rest  before  and  after  the 
battle,  so  that  they  may  march  in  full  strength  to 
victory  in  the  fight. 

The  refined  deliberateness  of  his  nature  had  in  it 
much  that  was  royal  as  well  as  priestly;  it  was  partly 
intrinsic  and  born  with  him,  partly  the  result  of  his  own 
mental  self-control.  He  had  many  enemies,  but  calumny 
seldom  dared  to  attack  the  high  character  of  Ameni. 

The  high-priest  looked  up  in  astonishment,  as  the 
disturbance  in  the  court  of  the  temple  broke  in  on  his 
studies. 

The  room  in  which  he  was  sitting  was  spacious 
and  cool;  the  lower  part  of  the  walls  was  lined  with 
earthenware  tiles,  the  upper  half  plastered  and  painted. 
But  little  was  visible  of  the  masterpieces  of  the  artists 
of  the  establishment,  for  almost  everywhere  they  were 
concealed  by  wooden  closets  and  shelves,  in  which 
were  papyrus-rolls  and  wax-tablets.  A  large  table,  a 
couch  covered  with  a  panther's  skin,  a  footstool  in 
front  of  it,  and  on  it  a  crescent-shaped  support  for 
the  head,  made  of  ivory,*  several  seats,  a  stand  with 

*  A  support  of  crescent  form  on  which  the  Egyptians  rested  their  heads. 
Many  specimens  were  found  in  the  catacombs,  and  similar  objects  are  still  used 


26  UARDA. 

beakers  and  jugs,  and  another  with  flasks  of  all  sizes, 
saucers,  and  boxes,  composed  the  furniture  of  the  room, 
which  was  lighted  by  three  lamps,  shaped  like  birds  and 
filled  with  kiki  oil.* 

Ameni  wore  a  fine  pleated  robe  of  snow-white 
linen,  which  reached  to  his  ankles,  round  his  hips  was 
a  scarf  adorned  with  fringes,  which  in  front  formed  an 
apron,  with  broad,  stiffened  ends  which  fell  to  his 
knees;  a  wide  belt  of  white  and  silver  brocade  confined 
the  drapery  of  his  robe.  Round  his  throat  and  far 
down  on  his  bare  breast  hung  a  necklace  more  than  a 
span  deep,  composed  of  pearls  and  agates,  and  his  upper 
arm  was  covered  with  broad  gold  bracelets.  He  rose 
from  the  ebony  seat  with  lion's  feet,  on  which  he  sat, 
and  beckoned  to  a  servant  who  squatted  by  one  of  the 
walls  of  the  sitting-room.  He  rose  and  without  any 
word  of  command  from  his  master,  he  silently  and 
carefully  placed  on  the  high-priest's  bare  head  a  long 
and  thick  curled  wig,**  and  threw  a  leopard-skin,  with 
its  head  and  claws  overlaid  with  gold-leaf,  over  his 
shoulders.  A  second  servant  held  a  metal  mirror  before 
Ameni,  in  which  he  cast  a  look  as  he  settled  the  pan- 
ther-skin and  head-gear. 

A  third  servant  was  handing  him  the  crosier,  the 
insignia  of  his  dignity  as  a  prelate,  when  a  priest  entered 
and  announced  the  scribe  Pentaur. 

Ameni  nodded,  and  the  young  priest  who  had  talked 
with  the  princess  Bent-Anat  at  the  temple-gate  came 
into  the  room. 

Pentaur   knelt  and  kissed  the  hand  of  the  prelate, 

*  Castor  oil,  which  was  used  in  the  lamps. 

**  Egyptians  belonging  to  the  higher  classes  wore  wigs  on  their  shaves 
heads.  Several  are  preserved  in  museums. 


UARDA.  27 

who  gave  him  his  blessing,  and  in  a  clear  sweet  voice, 
and  rather  formal  and  unfamiliar  language — as  if  he 
were  reading  rather  than  speaking,  said — 

"Rise,  my  son;  your  visit  will  save  me  a  walk  at 
this  untimely  hour,  since  you  can  inform  me  of  what 
disturbs  the  disciples  in  our  temple.  Speak." 

"  Little  of  consequence  has  occurred,  holy  father," 
replied  Pentaur.  "  Nor  would  I  have  disturbed  thee  at 
this  hour,  but  that  a  quite  unnecessary  tumult  has  been 
raised  by  the  youths;  and  that  the  princess  Bent-Anat 
appeared  in  person  to  request  the  aid  of  a  physician. 
The  unusual  hour  and  the  retinue  that  followed  her — " 

"Is  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  sick?"  asked  the 
prelate. 

"  No,  father.  She  is  well — even  to  wantonness,  since 
— wishing  to  prove  the  swiftness  of  her  horses — 
she  ran  over  the  daughter  of  the  paraschites  Pinem. 
Noble-hearted  as  she  is,  she  herself  carried  the  sorely- 
wounded  girl  to  her  house. " 

"  She  entered  the  dwelling  of  the  unclean. " 

"Thou  hast  said." 

"And  she  now  asks  to  be  purified  ?" 

"I  thought  I  might  venture  to  absolve  her,  father, 
for  the  purest  humanity  led  her  to  the  act,  which  was 
no  doubt  a  breach  of  discipline,  but — " 

"But,"  asked  the  high-priest  in  a  grave  voice,  and 
he  raised  his  eyes  which  he  had  hitherto  kept  fixed 
on  the  ground. 

"But,"  said  the  young  priest,  and  now  his  eyes 
fell,  "  which  can  surely  be  no  crime.  When  Ra*  in  his 
golden  bark  sails  across  the  heavens,  his  light  falls  as 
freely  and  as  bountifully  on  the  hut  of  the  despised 

*  The  Egyptian  Sun-god. 


28  UARDA. 

poor  as  on  the  Palace  of  the  Pharaohs ;  and  shall  the 
tender  human  heart  withhold  its  pure  light — which  is 
benevolence — from  the  wretched,  only  because  they 
are  base  ?" 

"  It  is  the  poet  Pentaur  that  speaks,"  said  the 
prelate,  "  and  not  the  priest  to  whom  the  privilege  was 
given  to  be  initiated  into  the  highest  grade  of  the 
sages,  and  whom  I  call  my  brother  and  my  equal. 
I  have  no  advantage  over  you,  young  man,  but  perish- 
able learning,  which  the  past  has  won  for  you  as  much 
as  for  me — nothing  but  certain  perceptions  and  ex- 
periences that  offer  nothing  new  to  the  world,  but 
teach  us,  indeed,  that  it  is  our  part  to  maintain  all 
that  is  ancient  in  living  efficacy  and  practice.  That 
which  you  promised  a  few  weeks  since,  I  many  years 
ago  vowed  to  the  Gods;  to  guard  knowledge  as  the 
exclusive  possession  of  the  initiated.  Like  fire,  it 
serves  those  who  know  its  uses  to  the  noblest  ends, 
but  in  the  hands  of  children — and  the  people,  the 
mob,  can  never  ripen  into  manhood — it  is  a  destroying 
brand,  raging  and  unextinguishable,  devouring  all 
around  it,  and  destroying  all  that  has  been  built  and 
beautified  by  the  past.  And  how  can  we  remain  '  the 
Sages'  and  continue  to  develop  and  absorb  all  learn- 
ning  within  the  shelter  of  our  temples,  not  only  without 
endangering  the  weak,  but  for  their  benefit  ?  You 
know  and  have  sworn  to  act  after  that  knowledge.  To 
bind  the  crowd  to  the  faith  and  the  institutions  of 
the  fathers  is  your  duty — is  the  duty  of  every  priest. 
Times  have  changed,  my  son ;  under  the  old  kings 
the  fire,  of  which  I  spoke  figuratively  to  you — the 
poet — was  enclosed  in  brazen  walls  which  the  people 
passed  stupidly  by.  Now  I  see  breaches  in  the  old 


TJARDA.  2g 

fortifications ;  the  eyes  of  the  uninitiated  have  been 
sharpened,  and  one  tells  the  other  what  he  fancies  he 
has  spied,  though  half-blinded,  through  the  glowing 
rifts." 

A  slight  emotion  had  given  energy  to  the  tones  of 
the  speaker,  and  while  he  held  the  poet  spell-bound 
with  his  piercing  glance  he  continued  : 

"We  curse  and  expel  any  one  of  the  initiated  who 
enlarges  these  breaches;  we  punish  even  the  friend 
who  idly  neglects  to  repair  and  close  them  with  beaten 
brass ! " 

"My  father!"  cried  Pentaur,  raising  his  head  in 
astonishment  while  the  blood  mounted  to  his  cheeks. 

The  high-priest  went  up  to  him  and  laid  both 
hands  on  his  shoulders. 

They  were  of  equal  height  and  of  equally  sym- 
metrical build;  even  the  outline  of  their  features  was 
similar.  Nevertheless  no  one  would  have  taken  them 
to  be  even  distantly  related ;  their  countenances  were 
so  infinitely  unlike  in  expression. 

On  the  face  of  one  were  stamped  a  strong  will 
and  the  power  of  firmly  guiding  his  life  and  com- 
manding himself;  on  the  other,  an  amiable  desire  to 
overlook  the  faults  and  defects  of  the  world,  and  to 
contemplate  life  as  it  painted  itself  in  the  transfiguring 
magic-mirror  of  his  poet's  soul.  Frankness  and  enjoy- 
ment spoke  in  his  sparkling  eye,  but  the  subtle  smile 
on  his  lips  when  he  was  engaged  in  a  discussion,  or 
when  his  soul  was  stirred,  betrayed  that  Pentaur,  far 
from  childlike  carelessness,  had  fought  many  a  severe 
mental  battle,  and  had  tasted  the  dark  waters  of 
doubt. 

At  this  moment   mingled  feelings  were    struggling 


3<>  UARDA. 

in  his  soul.  He  felt  as  if  he  must  withstand  the 
speaker;  and  yet  the  powerful  presence  of  the  other 
exercised  so  strong  an  influence  over  his  mind,  long 
trained  to  submission,  that  he  was  silent,  and  a  pious 
thrill  passed  through  him  when  Ameni's  hands  were 
laid  on  his  shoulders. 

"  I  blame  you,"  said  the  high-priest,  while  he  firm- 
ly held  the  young  man,  "  nay,  to  my  sorrow  I  must 
chastise  you ;  and  yet,"  he  said,  stepping  back  and  tak- 
ing his  right  hand,  "  I  rejoice  in  the  necessity,  for  I  love 
you  and  honor  you,  as  one  whom  the  Unnameable 
has  blessed  with  high  gifts  and  destined  to  great  things. 
Man  leaves  a  weed  to  grow  unheeded  or  roots  it  up : 
but  you  are  a  noble  tree,  and  I  am  like  the  gardener 
who  has  forgotten  to  provide  it  with  a  prop,  and  who 
is  now  thankful  to  have  detected  a  bend  that  reminds 
him  of  his  neglect.  You  look  at  me  enquiringly,  and  I 
can  see  in  your  eyes  that  I  seem  to  you  a  severe  judge. 
Of  what  are  you  accused  ?  You  have  suffered  an  in- 
stitution of  the  past  to  be  set  aside.  It  does  not  matter 
— so  the  short-sighted  and  heedless  think;  but  I  say 
to  you,  you  have  doubly  transgressed,  because  the 
wrong-doer  was  the  king's  daughter,  Avhom  all  look  up 
to,  great  and  small,  and  whose  actions  may  serve  as 
an  example  to  the  people.  On  whom  then  must  a 
breach  of  the  ancient  institutions  lie  with  the  darkest 
stain  if  not  on  the  highest  in  rank  ?  In  a  few  days  it 
will  be  said  the  paraschites  are  men  even  as  we  are, 
and  the  old  law  to  avoid  them  as  unclean  is  folly.  And 
will  the  reflections  of  the  people,  think  you,  end  there, 
when  it  is  so  easy  for  them  to  say  that  he  who  errs  in 
one  point  may  as  well  fail  i:i  all  ?  In  questions  of  faith, 
my  son,  nothing  i:;  insignificant.  If  we  open  one  tower 


UARDA.  3 1 

to  the  enemy  he  is  master  of  the  whole  fortress.  In 
these  unsettled  times  our  sacred  lore  is  like  a  chariot 
on  the  declivity  of  a  precipice,  and  under  the  wheels 
thereof  a  stone.  A  child  takes  away  the  stone,  and  the 
chariot  rolls  down  into  the  abyss  and  is  dashed  to 
pieces.  Imagine  the  princess  to  be  that  child,  and  the 
stone  a  loaf  that  she  would  fain  give  to  feed  a  beggar. 
Would  you  then  give  it  to  her  if  your  father  and  your 
mother  and  all  that  is  dear  and  precious  to  you  were 
in  the  chariot  ?  Answer  not !  the  princess  will  visit  the 
paraschites  again  to-morrow.  You  must  await  her  in 
the  man's  hut,  and  there  inform  her  that  she  has  trans- 
gressed and  must  crave  to  be  purified  by  us.  For  this 
time  you  are  excused  from  any  further  punishment. 
Heaven  has  bestowed  on  you  a  gifted  soul.  Strive  for 
that  which  is  wanting  to  you — the  strength  to  subdue, 
to  crush  for  One — and  you  know  that  One — all  things 
else — even  the  misguiding  voice  of  your  heart,  the 
treacherous  voice  of  your  judgment. — But  stay  !  send 
leeches  to  the  house  of  the  paraschites,  and  desire  them 
to  treat  the  injured  girl  as  though  she  were  the  queen 
herself.  Who  knows  where  the  man  dwells  ?" 

"The  princess,"  replied  Pentaur,  "has  left  Paaker, 
the  king's  pioneer,  behind  in  the  temple  to  conduct  the 
leeches  to  the  house  of  Pinem." 

The  grave  high-priest  smiled  and  said.  "  Paaker !  to 
attend  the  daughter  of  a  paraschites." 

Pentaur  half  beseechingly  and  half  in  fun  raised  his 
eyes  Avhich  he  had  kept  cast  down.  "  And  Pentaur," 
he  murmured,  "  the  gardener's  son !  who  is  to  refuse 
absolution  to  the  king's  daughter!" 

-'  Pentaur,  the  minister  of  the  Gods — Pentaur,  the 
priest — has  not  to  do  with  the  daughter  of  the  kin^, 


32  UARDA. 

but  with  the  transgressor  of  the  sacred  institutions," 
replied  Ameni  gravely.  "  Let  Paaker  know  I  wish  to 
speak  with  him." 

The  poet  bowed  low  and  quitted  the  room,  the  high- 
priest  muttered  to  himself:  "  He  is  not  yet  what  he 
should  be,  and  speech  is  of  no  effect  with  him." 

For  a  while  he  was  silent,  walking  to  and  fro  in 
meditation ;  then  he  said  half  aloud,  "  And  the  boy  is 
destined  to  great  things.  What  gifts  of  the  Gods  doth 
he  lack  ?  He  has  the  faculty  of  learning — of  thinking 
— of  feeling — of  winning  all  hearts,  even  mine.  He 
keeps  himself  undefiled  and  separate — "  suddenly  the 
prelate  paused  and  struck  his  hand  on  the  back  of  a 
chair  that  stood  by  him.  "  I  have  it ;  he  has  not  yet 
felt  the  fire  of  ambition.  We  will  light  it  for  his  pro- 
fit and  our  own." 


CHAPTER    III. 

PENTAUR  hastened  to  execute  the  commands  of  the 
high-priest.  He  sent  a  servant  to  escort  Paaker,  who 
was  waiting  in  the  forecourt,  into  the  presence  of  Ameni 
while  he  himself  repaired  to  the  physicians  to  impress 
on  them  the  most  watchful  care  of  the  unfortunate 
girl. 

Many  proficients  in  the  healing  arts*  were  brought 
up  in  the  house  of  Seti,  but  few  used  to  remain  after 
passing  the  examination  for  the  degree  of  Scribe.  The 

*  What  is  here  stated  with  regard  to  the  medical  schools  is  principally 
derived  from  the  medical  writings  of  the  Egyptians  themselves,  among  which 
the  "  Ebers  Papyrus"  holds  the  first  place,  "Medical  Papyrus  I."  of  Berlin 
the  second,  and  a  hieratic  MS.  in  London  which,  like  the  first  mentioned, 
has  come  down  to  us  from  the  i8th  dynasty,  takes  the  third.  Also  see 
Herodotus  II.  84.  Diodorus  I.  82. 


UARDA.  33 

most  gifted  were  sent  to  Heliopolis,  where  flourished,  in 
the  great  "  Hall  of  the  Ancients,"  the  most  celebrated 
medical  faculty  of  the  whole  country,  whence  they  re- 
turned to  Thebes,  endowed  with  the  highest  honors  in 
surgery,  in  ocular  treatment,  or  in  any  other  branch  of 
their  profession,  and  became  physicians  to  the  king  or 
made  a  living  by  imparting  their  learning  and  by  being 
called  in  to  consult  on  serious  cases. 

Naturally  most  of  the  doctors  lived  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Nile,  in  Thebes  proper,  and  even  in  private  houses 
with  their  families ;  but  each  was  attached  to  a  priestly 
college. 

Whoever  required  a  physician  sent  for  him,  not  to 
his  own  house,  but  to  a  temple.  There  a  statement 
was  required  of  the  complaint  from  which  the  sick 
person  was  suffering,  and  it  was  left  to  the  principal 
of  the  medical  staff  of  the  sanctuary  to  select  that 
master  of  the  healing  art  whose  special  knowledge 
appeared  to  him  to  be  suited  for  the  treatment  of  the 
case. 

Like  all  priests,  the  physicians  lived  on  the  income 
which  came  to  them  from  their  landed  property,  from 
the  gifts  of  the  king,  the  contributions  of  the  laity,  and 
the  share  which  was  given  them  of  the  state-revenues; 
they  expected  no  honorarium  from  their  patients,  but 
the  restored  sick  seldom  neglected  making  a  present  to 
the  sanctuary  whence  a  physician  had  come  to  them, 
and  it  was  not  unusual  for  the  priestly  leech  to  make 
the  recovery  of  the  sufferer  conditional  on  certain  gifts 
to  be  offered  to  the  temple. 

The  medical  knowledge  of  the  Egyptians  was,  ac- 
cording to  every  indication,  very  considerable;  but  it 
was  natural  that  physicians,  who  stood  by  the  bed  of 


34  UARDA. 

sickness  as  "  ordained  servants  of  the  Divinity,"  should 
not  be  satisfied  with  a  rational  treatment  of  the  sufferer, 
and  should  rather  think  that  they  could  not  dispense 
with  the  mystical  effects  of  prayers  and  vows. 

Among  the  professors  of  medicine  in  the  House  of 
Seti  there  were  men  of  the  most  different  gifts  and  bent 
of  mind ;  but  Pentaur  was  not  for  a  moment  in  doubt 
as  to  which  should  be  entrusted  with  the  treatment  of 
the  girl  who  had  been  run  over,  and  for  whom  he  felt 
the  greatest  sympathy. 

The  one  he  chose  was  the  grandson  of  a  celebrated 
leech,  long  since  dead,  whose  name  of  Nebsecht  he 
had  inherited,  and  a  beloved  school-friend  and  old  com- 
rade of  Pentaur. 

This  young  man  had  from  his  earliest  years  shown 
high  and  hereditary  talent  for  the  profession  to  which 
he  had  devoted  himself;  he  had  selected  surgery*  for 
his  special  province  at  Heliopolis,  and  would  certainly 
have  attained  the  dignity  of  teacher  there  if  an  impedi- 
ment in  his  speech  had  not  debarred  him  from  the  viva 
voce  recitation  of  formulas  and  prayers. 

This  circumstance,  which  was  deeply  lamented  by 
his  parents  and  tutors,  was  in  fact,  in  the  best  opinions, 
an  advantage  to  him ;  for  it  often  happens  that  apparent 
superiority  does  us  damage,  and  that  from  apparent  de- 
fect springs  the  saving  of  our  life. 

Thus,  while  the  companions  of  Nebsecht  were  em- 
ployed in  declaiming  or  in  singing,  he,  thanks  to  his 
fettered  tongue,  could  give  himself  up  to  his  inherited 
and  almost  passionate  love  of  observing  organic  life;  and 

*  Among  the  six  hermetic  books  of  medicine  mentioned  by  Clement  of 
Alexandria,  was  one  devoted  to  surgical  instruments ;  otherwise  the  very  badly- 
set  fractures  found  in  some  of  the  mummies  do  little  honor  to  the  Egyptian 
surgeons. 


UARDA.  35 

his  teachers  indulged  up  to  a  certain  point  his  innate 
spirit  of  investigation,  and  derived  benefit  from  his 
knowledge  of  the  human  and  animal  structures,  and 
from  the  dexterity  of  his  handling. 

His  deep  aversion  for  the  magical  part  of  his  profes- 
sion would  have  brought  him  heavy  punishment,  nay 
very  likely  would  have  cost  him  expulsion  from  the 
craft,  if  he  had  ever  given  it  expression  in  any  form. 
But  Nebsecht's  was  the  silent  and  reserved  nature  of 
the  learned  man,  who  free  from  all  desire  of  external 
recognition,  finds  a  rich  satisfaction  in  the  delights  of 
investigation;  and  he  regarded  every  demand  on  him 
to  give  proof  of  his  capacity,  as  a  vexatious  but  un- 
avoidable intrusion  on  his  unassuming  but  laborious 
and  fruitful  investigations. 

Nebsecht  was  dearer  and  nearer  to  Pentaur  than 
any  other  of  his  associates. 

He  admired  his  learning  and  skill;  and  when  the 
slightly-built  surgeon,  who  was  indefatigable  in  his  wan- 
derings, roved  through  the  thickets  by  the  Nile,  the 
desert,  or  the  mountain  range,  the  young  poet-priest  ac- 
companied him  with  pleasure  and  with  great  benefit  to 
himself,  for  his  companion  observed  a  thousand  things  to 
which  without  him  he  would  have  remained  for  ever 
blind;  and  the  objects  around  him,  which  were  known 
to  him  only  by  their  shapes,  derived  connection  and  sig- 
nificance from  the  explanations  of  the  naturalist,  whose 
intractable  tongue  moved  freely  when  it  was  required  to 
expound  to  his  friend  the  peculiarities  of  organic  beings 
whose  development  he  had  been  the  first  to  detect. 

The  poet  was  dear  in  the  sight  of  Nebsecht,  and  he 
loved  Pentaur,  who  possessed  all  the  gifts  he  lacked; 
manly  beauty,  childlike  lightness  of  heart,  the  frankest 


3  UARDA. 

openness,  artistic  power,  and  the  gift  of  expressing  in 
word  and  song  every  emotion  that  stirred  his  soul. 

The  poet  was  as  a  novice  in  the  order  in  which 
Nebsecht  was  master,  but  quite  capable  of  understand- 
ing its  most  difficult  points;  so  it  happened  that  Neb- 
secht attached  greater  value  to  his  judgment  than  to 
that  of  his  own  colleagues,  who  showed  themselves 
fettered  by  prejudice,  while  Pentaur's  decision  always 
was  free  and  unbiassed. 

The  naturalist's  room  lay  on  the  ground  floor,  and 
had  no  living-rooms  above  it,  being  under  one  of  the 
granaries  attached  to  the  temple.  It  was  as  large  as  a 
public  hall,  and  yet  Pentaur,  making  his  way  towards 
the  silent  owner  of  the  room,  found  it  everywhere 
strewed  with  thick  bundles  of  every  variety  of  plant, 
with  cages  of  palm-twigs  piled  four  or  five  high,  and  a 
number  of  jars,  large  and  small,  covered  with  perforated 
paper.  Within  these  prisons  moved  all  sorts  of  living 
creatures,  from  the  jerboa,  the  lizard  of  the  Nile,  and  a 
light-colored  species  of  owl,  to  numerous  specimens  of 
frogs,  snakes,  scorpions  and  beetles. 

On  the  solitary  table  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
near  to  a  writing-stand,  lay  bones  of  animals,  with  va- 
rious sharp  flints  and  bronze  knives. 

In  a  corner  of  this  room  lay  a  mat,  on  which  stood 
a  wooden  head-prop,  indicating  that  the  naturalist  was 
in  the  habit  of  sleeping  on  it. 

When  Pentaur's  step  was  heard  on  the  threshold  of 
this  strange  abode,  its  owner  pushed  a  rather  large  ob- 
ject under  the  table,  threw  a  cover  over  it,  and  hid  a 
sharp  flint  scalpel*  fixed  into  a  wooden  handle,  which 

*  The  Egyptians  seem  to  have  preferred  to  use  flint  instruments  for  surgi- 
cal purposes,  at  any  rate  for  the  opening  of  bodies  and  for  circumcision.  Many 
flint  instruments  have  been  found  and  preserved  in  museums. 


UARDA.  37 

he  had  just  been  using,  in  the  folds  of  his  robe — as  a 
school-boy  might  hide  some  forbidden  game  from  his 
master.  Then  he  crossed  his  arms,  to  give  himself  the 
aspect  of  a  man  who  is  dreaming  in  harmless  idleness. 

The  solitary  lamp,  which  was  fixed  on  a  high  stand 
near  his  chair,  shed  a  scanty  light,  which,  however,  suf- 
ficed to  show  him  his  trusted  friend  Pentaur,  who  had 
disturbed  Nebsecht  in  his  prohibited  occupations.  Neb- 
secht  nodded  to  him  as  he  entered,  and,  when  he  had 
seen  who  it  was,  said: 

"You  need  not  have  frightened  me  so!"  Then  he 
drew  out  from  under  the  table  the  object  he  had  hidden 
— a  living  rabbit  fastened  down  to  a  board — and  con- 
tinued his  interrupted  observations  on  the  body,  which 
he  had  opened  and  fastened  back  with  wooden  pins 
while  the  heart  continued  to  beat. 

He  took  no  further  notice  of  Pentaur,  who  for  some 
time  silently  watched  the  investigator;  then  he  laid  his 
hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said : 

"Lock  your  door  more  carefully,  when  you  are 
busy  with  forbidden  things." 

"They  took — they  took  away  the  bar  of  the  door 
lately,"  stammered  the  naturalist,  "when  they  caught 
me  dissecting  the  hand  of  the  forger  Ptahmes."* 

"The  mummy  of  the  poor  man  will  find  its  right 
hand  wanting,"  answered  the  poet. 

"  He  will  not  want  it  out  there." 

"Did  you  bury  the  least  bit  of  an  image  in  his 
grave?"** 

"  Nonsense." 

*  The  law  sentenced  forgers  to  lose  a  hand. 

**  Small  statuettes,  placed  in  graves  to  help  the  dead  in  the  work  performed  in 
(he  under-world.  They  have  axes  and  ploughs  in  their  hands,  and  seed-bags  on 
their  backs.  The  sixth  chapter  of  the  Book  of  the  Dead  is  inscribed  en  nearly  all. 


3^  UARDA. 

"You  go  very  far,  Nebsecht,  and  are  not  foreseeing, 
'He  who  needlessly  hurts  an  innocent  animal  shall  be 
served  in  the  same  way  by  the  spirits  of  the  nether- 
world,' says  the  law;  but  I  see  what  you  will  say.  You 
hold  it  lawful  to  put  a  beast  to  pain,  when  you  can 
thereby  increase  that  knowledge  by  which  you  alleviate 
the  sufferings  of  man,  and  enrich — " 

"And  do  not  you?" 

A  gentle  smile  passed  over  Pentaur's  face;  he 
leaned  over  the  animal  and  said: 

"  How  curious !  the  little  beast  still  lives  and  breathes; 
a  man  would  have  long  been  dead  under  such  treat- 
ment. His  organism  is  perhaps  of  a  more  precious, 
subtle,  and  so  more  fragile  nature?" 

Nebsecht  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Perhaps!"  he  said. 

"I  thought  you  must  know." 

"  I — how  should  I  ?"  asked  the  leech.  "I  have  told 
you — they  would  not  even  let  me  try  to  find  out  how 
the  hand  of  a  forger  moves." 

"Consider,  the  scripture  tells  us  the  passage  of  the 
soul  depends  on  the  preservation  of  the  body." 

Nebsecht  looked  up  with  his  cunning  little  eyes  and 
shrugging  his  shoulders,  said: 

"Then  no  doubt  it  is  so:  however  these  things  do 
not  concern  me.  Do  what  you  like  with  the  souls  of 
men;  I  seek  to  know  something  of  their  bodies,  and 
patch  them  when  they  are  damaged  as  well  as 
may  be." 

"Nay — Toth  be  praised,*  at  least  you  need  not 
deny  that  you  are  master  in  that  art." 

*  Toth  is  the  god  of  the  learned  and  of  physicians.  The  Ibis  was  sacred 
to  him,  and  he  was  usually  represented  as  Ibis-headed.  Ra  created  him  "  a 


UARDA.  39 

"Who  is  master,"  asked  Nebsecht,  "excepting 
God?  I  can  do  nothing,  nothing  at  all,  and  guide 
my  instruments  with  hardly  more  certainty  than  a 
sculptor  condemned  to  work  in  the  dark." 

"Something  like  the  blind  Resu  then,"  said  Pentaur 
smiling,  "  who  understood  painting  better  than  all  the 
painters  who  could  see." 

"In  my  operations  there  is  a  'better'  and  a  'worse;'" 
said  Nebsecht,  "but  there  is  nothing  'good.'  " 

"Then  we  must  be  satisfied  with  the  'better,'  and 
I  have  come  to  claim  it,"  said  Pentaur. 

"Are  you  ill?" 

"  Isis  be  praised,  I  feel  so  well  that  I  could  uproot 
a  palm-tree,  but  I  would  ask  you  to  visit  a  sick  girl. 
The  princess  Bent-Anat — 

"The  royal  family  has  its  own  physicians." 

"Let  me  speak!  the  princess  Bent-Anat  has  run 
over  a  young  girl,  and  the  poor  child  is  seriously 
hurt." 

"Indeed,"  said  the  student  reflectively.  "Is  she 
over  there  in  the  city,  or  here  in  the  Necropolis?" 

"  Here.  She  is  in  fact  the  daughter  of  a  para- 
schites." 

"Of  a  paraschites ?"  exclaimed  Nebsecht,  once 
more  slipping,  the  rabbit  under  the  table,  "then  I 
will  go." 

"You  curious  fellow.  I  believe  you  expect  to  find 
something  strange  among  the  unclean  folk." 

beautiful  light  to  show  the  name  of  his  evil  enem>."  Originally  the  Moon-god, 
he  became  the  lord  of  time  and  measure.  He  is  the  weigher,  the  philosopher 
amon?  the  gods,  the  lord  of  writing,  of  art  and  of  learning.  The  Greeks  called 
him  HermesTrismegistus,  i.  '.  threefold  or  "very  great"  which  was,  in  fact,  in 
imitation  of  the  Egyptians,  whose  name  Toth  or  Techuti  signified  twofold,  m 
the  same  way  "  very  great." 


40  UARDA. 

"That  is  my  affair;  but  I  will  go.  What  is  the 
man's  name  ?" 

"Pinem." 

"There  will  be  nothing  to  be  done  with  him," 
muttered  the  student,  "however — who  knows?" 

With  these  words  he  rose,  and  opening  a  tightly 
closed  flask  he  dropped  some  strychnine*  on  the  nose 
and  in  the  mouth  of  the  rabbit,  which  immediately 
ceased  to  breathe.  Then  he  laid  it  in  a  box  and 
said,  "  I  am  ready." 

"  But  you  cannot  go  out  of  doors  in  this  stained 
dress." 

The  physician  nodded  assent,  and  took  from  a 
chest  a  clean  robe,  which  he  was  about  to  throw  on 
over  the  other;  but  Pentaur  hindered  him.  "First 
take  off  your  working  dress,"  he  said  laughing.  "  I  will 
help  you.  But,  by  Besa,**  you  have  as  many  coats  as 
an  onion." 

Pentaur  was  known  as  a  mighty  laugher  among 
his  companions,  and  his  loud  voice  rung  in  the  quiet 
room,  when  he  discovered  that  his  friend  was  about 
to  put  a  third  clean  robe  over  two  dirty  ones,  and 
wear  no  less  than  three  dresses  at  once. 

Nebsecht  laughed  too,  and  said,  "  Now  I  know 
why  my  clothes  were  so  heavy,  and  felt  so  intolerably 
hot  at  noon.  While  I  get  rid  of  my  superfluous  cloth- 
ing, will  you  go  and  ask  the  high-priest  if  I  have  leave 
to  quit  the  temple." 

"He  commissioned   me   to  send   a   leech   to   the 


*  Strychnine  was  a  poison  well  known  to  the  Egyptians. 

f*  The  god  of  the  toilet  of  the  Egyptians.  He  was  represented  as  a  de- 
formed pigmy.  He  led  the  women  to  conquest  in  love,  and  the  men  in  war 
He  was  probably  of  Arab  origin. 


UARDA.  4t 

paraschites,  and  added  that  the  girl  was  to  be  treated 
like  a  queen." 

"Ameni?  and  did  he  know  that  we  have  to  do 
with  a  paraschites?" 

"Certainly." 

"Then  I  snail  begin  to  believe  that  broken  limbs 
may  be  set  with  vows — aye,  vows !  You  know  I  cannot 
go  alone  to  the  sick,  because  my  leather  tongue  is 
unable  to  recite  the  sentences  or  to  wring  rich  offer- 
ings for  the  temple  from  the  dying.  Go,  while  I  un- 
dress, to  the  prophet  Gagabu  and  beg  him  to  send  the 
pastophorus  Teta,  who  usually  accompanies  me." 

"  I  would  seek  a  young  assistant  rather  than  that 
blind  old  man." 

"  Not  at  all.  I  should  be  glad  if  he  would  stay  at 
home,  and  only  let  his  tongue  creep  after  me  like  an 
eel  or  a  slug.  Head  and  heart  have  nothing  to  do 
with  his  wordy  operations,  and  they  go  on  like  an  ox 
treading  out  corn."* 

"It  is  true,"  said  Pentaur;  "just  lately  I  saw  the 
old  man  singing  out  his  litanies  by  a  sick-bed,  and  all 
the  time  quietly  counting  the  dates,  of  which  they  had 
given  him  a  whole  sack-full." 

"  He  will  be  unwilling  to  go  to  the  paraschites, 
who  is  poor,  and  he  would  sooner  seize  the  whole 
brood  of  scorpions  yonder  than  take  a  piece  of  bread 
from  the  hand  of  the  unclean.  Tell  him  to  come  and 
fetch  me,  and  drink  some  wine.  There  stands  three 
days'  allowance;  in  this  hot  weather  it  dims  my  sight. 


*  In  Egypt,  as  in  Palestine,  beasts  trod  out  the  corn,  as  we  learn  from 
many  pictures  in  the  catacombs,  even  in  the  remotest  ages  ;  often  with  the  ad- 
dition of  a  weighted  sledge,  to  the  runners  of  which  rollers  are  attached.  It 
is  now  called  noreg. 


42  UARDA. 

Does  the  paraschites  live  to  the  north  or  south  of  the 
Necropolis?" 

"  I  think  to  the  north.  Paaker,  the  king's  pioneer, 
will  show  you  the  way." 

"  He!"  exclaimed  the  student, laughing.  "What  day 
in  the  calendar  is  this,  then  ?*  The  child  of  a  para- 
schites is  to  be  tended  like  a  princess,  and  a  leech 
have  a  noble  to  guide  him,  like  the  Pharaoh  himself! 
I  ought  to  have  kept  on  my  three  robes!" 

"The  night  is  warm,"  said  Pentaur. 

"  But  Paaker  has  strange  ways  with  him.  Only  the 
day  before  yesterday  I  was  called  to  a  poor  boy  whose 
collar  bone  he  had  simply  smashed  with  his  stick.  If 
I  had  been  the  princess's  horse  I  would  rather  have 
trodden  him  down  than  a  poor  little  girl." 

"So  would  I,"  said  Pentaur  laughing,  and  left  the 
room  to  request  the  second  prophet  Gagabu,  who  was 
also  the  head  of  the  medical  staff  of  the  House  of 
Seti,  to  send  the  blind  pastophorus**  Teta,  with  his 
friend  as  singer  of  the  litany. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PENTAUR  knew  where  to  seek  Gagabu,  for  he  him- 
self had  been  invited  to  the  banquet  which  the 
prophet  had  prepared  in  honor  of  two  sages  who  had 


*  Calendars  have  been  preserved,  the  completes!  is  the  papyrus  SallierlV., 
which  has  been  admirably  treated  by  F.  Chabas.  Many  days  are  noted  as 
lucky,  unlucky,  etc.  In  the  temples  many  Calendars  of  feasts  have  been  found, 
the  most  perfect  at  Medinet  Abu,  deciphered  by  Diimich. 

**  The    1'astophori    were    an    order    of    priests    to    which    the    physician* 
belonged. 


UARDA.  43 

lately  come  to  the  House  of  Seti  from  the  university 
of  Chennu.* 

In  an  open  court,  surrounded  by  gaily -painted 
wooden  pillars,  and  lighted  by  many  lamps,  sat  the 
feasting  priests  in  two  long  rows  on  comfortable  arm- 
chairs. Before  each  stood  a  little  table,  and  servants 
were  occupied  in  supplying  them  with  the  dishes  and 
drinks,  which  were  laid  out  on  a  splendid  table  in  the 
middle  of  the  court.  Joints  of  gazelle,**  roast  geese 
and  ducks,  meat  pasties,  artichokes,  asparagus  and 
other  vegetables,  and  various  cakes  and  sweetmeats 
were  carried  to  the  guests,  and  their  beakers  well- 
filled  with  the  choice  wines  of  which  there  was  never 
any  lack  in  the  lofts  of  the  House  of  Seti.***  In  the 
spaces  between  the  guests  stood  servants  with  metal 
bowls,  in  which  they  might  wash  their  hands,  and 
towels  of  fine  linen. 

When  their  hunger  was  appeased,  the  wine  flowed 
more  freely,  and  each  guest  was  decked  with  sweetly- 
smelling  flowers,  whose  odor  was  supposed  to  add  to 
the  vivacity  of  the  conversation. 

Many  of  the  sharers  in  this  feast  wore  long,  snow- 
white  garments,  and  were  of  the  class  of  the  Initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  the  faith,  as  well  as  chiefs  of  the 
different  orders  of  priests  of  the  House  of  Seti. 

The  second  prophet,  Gagabu,  who  was  to-day 
charged  with  the  conduct  of  the  feast  by  Ameni — 

*  Chennu  was  situated  on  a  bend  of  the  Nile,  not  far  from  the  Nubian 
frontier ;  it  is  now  called  Gebel  Silsileh  ;  it  was  in  very  ancient  times  the  seat  of 
a  celebrated  seminary. 

**  Gazelles  were  tamed  for  domestic  animals-  we  find  them  in  the  rep- 
resentations of  the  herds  of  the  wealthy  Egyptians  and  as  slaughtered  for 
food.  The  banquet  is  described  from  the  pictures  of  feasts  which  have  been 
found  in  the  tombs. 

***  Cellars  maintain  the  mean  temperature  of  the  climate,  and  in  Egypt  are 
hot  Wine  is  best  preserved  in  shady  and  airy  lofts. 


44  UARDA. 

who  on  such  occasions  only  showed  himself  for  a  few 
minutes — was  a  short,  stout  man  with  a  bald  and 
almost  spherical  head.  His  features  were  those  of  a 
man  of  advancing  years,  but  well-formed,  and  his 
smoothly-shaven,  plump  cheeks  were  well-rounded.  His 
grey  eyes  looked  out  cheerfully  and  observantly,  but 
had  a  vivid  sparkle  when  he  was  excited  and  began  to 
twitch  his  thick,  sensual  mouth. 

Close  by  him  stood  the  vacant,  highly-ornamented 
chair  of  the  high-priest,  and  next  to  him  sat  the  priests 
arrived  from  Chennu,  two  tall,  dark -colored  old  men. 
The  remainder  of  the  company  was  arranged  in  the  order 
of  precedency,  which  they  held  in  the  priests'  colleges, 
and  which  bore  no  relation  to  their  respective  ages. 

But  strictly  as  the  guests  were  divided  with  ref- 
erence to  their  rank,  they  mixed  without  distinction 
in  the  conversation. 

"We  know  how  to  value  our  call  to  Thebes,"  said 
the  elder  of  the  strangers  from  Chennu,  Tuauf,  whose 
essays  were  frequently  used  in  the  schools,*  "for  while, 
on  one  hand,  it  brings  us  into  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Pharaoh,  where  life,  happiness,  and  safety  flourish, 
on  the  other  it  procures  us  the  honor  of  counting 
ourselves  among  your  number;  for,  though  the  university 
of  Chennu  in  former  times  was  so  happy  as  to  bring 
up  many  great  men,  whom  she  could  call  her  own,  she 
can  no  longer  compare  with  the  House  of  Seti.  Even 
Heliopolis  and  Memphis  are  behind  you;  and  if  I,  my 
humble  self,  nevertheless  venture  boldly  among  you,  it 
is  because  I  ascribe  your  success  as  much  to  the  active 
influence  of  the  Divinity  in  your  temple,  which  may 
promote  my  acquirements  and  achievements,  as  to  your 

*  Some  of  them  are  still  in  existence. 


UARDA.  45 

great  gifts  and  your  industry,  in  which  I  will  not  be 
behind  you.  I  have  already  seen  your  high-priest 
Ameni — what  a  man!  And  who  does  not  know  thy 
name,  Gagabu,  or  thine,  Meriapu?" 

"And  which  of  you,"  asked  the  other  new-comer, 
"may  we  greet  as  the  author  of  the  most  beautiful 
hymn  to  Amon,  which  was  ever  sung  in  the  land  of 
the  Sycamore?  Which  of  you  is  Pentaur?" 

"The  empty  chair  yonder,"  answered  Gagabu,  point- 
ing to  a  seat  at  the  lower  end  of  the  table,  "is  his.  He 
is  the  youngest  of  us  all,  but  a  great  future  awaits  him." 

"And  his  songs,"  added  the  elder  of  the  strangers. 

"Without  doubt,"  replied  the  chief  of  the  haruspices,* 
an  old  man  with  a  large  grey  curly  head,  that  seemed 
too  heavy  for  his  thin  neck,  which  stretched  forward — 
perhaps  from  the  habit  of  constantly  watching  for  signs 
— while  his  prominent  eyes  glowed  with  a  fanatical 
gleam.  "Without  doubt  the  Gods  have  granted  great 
gifts  to  our  young  friend;  but  it  remains  to  be  proved 
how  he  will  use  them.  I  perceive  a  certain  freedom  of 
thought  in  the  youth,  which  pains  me  deeply.  Although 
in  his  poems  his  flexible  style  certainly  follows  the  pre- 
scribed forms,  his  ideas  transcend  all  tradition;  and 
even  in  the  hymns  intended  for  the  ears  of  the  people 
I  find  turns  of  thought,  which  might  well  be  called 
treason  to  the  mysteries  which  only  a  few  months  ago 
he  swore  to  keep  secret.  For  instance  he  says — and  we 
sing — and  the  laity  hear — 

"One  only  art  Thou,  Thou  Creator  of  beings; 
And  Thou  only  makest  all  that  is  created. 

And  again — 

*  One  of  the  orders  of  priests  in  the  Egyptian  hierarchy . 


46  UARDA. 

He  is  one  only,  Alone,  without  equal ; 
Dwelling  alone  in  the  holiest  of  holies."* 

Such  passages  as  these  ought  not  to  be  sung  in 
public,  at  least  in  times  like  ours,  when  new  ideas  come 
in  upon  us  from  abroad,  like  the  swarms  of  locusts 
from  the  East." 

"Spoken  to  my  very  soul!"  cried  the  treasurer  of 
the  temple,  "  Ameni  initiated  this  boy  too  early  into  the 
mysteries." 

"In  my  opinion,  and  I  am  his  teacher,"  said  Gaga- 
bu,  "  our  brotherhood  may  be  proud  of  a  member  who 
adds  so  brilliantly  to  the  fame  of  our  temple.  The 
people  hear  the  hymns  without  looking  closely  at  the 
meaning  of  the  words.  I  never  saw  the  congregation 
more  devout,  than  when  the  beautiful  and  deeply-felt 
song  of  praise  was  sung  at  the  feast  of  the  stairs.** 

"  Pentaur  was  always  thy  favorite,"  said  the  former 
speaker.  "  Thou  wouldst  not  permit  in  any  one  else 
many  things  that  are  allowed  to  him.  His  hymns  are 
nevertheless  to  me  and  to  many  others  a  dangerous 
performance ;  and  canst  thou  dispute  the  fact  that  we 
have  grounds  for  grave  anxiety,  and  that  things  happen 
and  circumstances  grow  up  around  us  which  hinder  us, 
and  at  last  may  perhaps  crush  us,  if  we  do  not,  while 
there  is  yet  time,  inflexibly  oppose  them  ?" 

"  Thou  bringest  sand  to  the  desert,  and  sugar  to 
sprinkle  over  honey,"  exclaimed  Gagabu,  and  his  lips 
began  to  twitch.  "  Nothing  is  now  as  it  ought  to  be, 
and  there  will  be  a  hard  battle  to  fight ;  not  with  the 
sword,  but  with  this — and  this."  And  the  impatient 

*  Hymn  to  Amon  preserved  in  a  papyrus  roll  at  Bulaq,  and  deciphered  by 
Grehaut  and  L.  Stern. 

**  A  particularly  solemn  festival  in  honor  of  Amou-Chem,  held  in  the 
temple  of  Medinet-Abu. 


UARDA.  47 

man  touched  his  forehead  and  his  lips.  "And  who  is 
there  more  competent  than  my  disciple?  There  is  the 
champion  of  our  cause,  a  second  cap  of  Hor,  that  over- 
threw the  evil  one  with  winged  sunbeams,  and  you 
come  and  would  clip  his  wings  and  blunt  his  claws! 
Alas,  alas,  my  lords!  will  you  never  understand  that  a 
lion  roars  louder  than  a  cat,  and  the  sun  shines  brighter 
than  an  oil-lamp  ?  Let  Pentuar  alone,  I  say;  or  you  will 
do  as  the  man  did,  who,  for  fear  of  the  toothache,  had 
his  sound  teeth  drawn.  Alas,  alas,  in  the  years  to  come 
we  shall  have  to  bite  deep  into  the  flesh,  till  the  blood 
flows,  if  we  wish  to  escape  being  eaten  up  ourselves!" 

"The  enemy  is  not  unknown  to  us  also,"  said  the 
elder  priest  from  Chennu,  "  although  we,  on  the  remote 
southern  frontier  of  the  kingdom,  have  escaped  many 
evils  that  in  the  north  have  eaten  into  our  body  like  a 
cancer.  Here  foreigners  are  now  hardly  looked  upon 
at  all  as.  unclean  and  devilish."* 

"Hardly?"  exclaimed  the  chief  of  the  haruspices; 
"they  are  invited,  caressed,  and  honored.  Like  dust, 
when  the  simoon  blows  through  the  chinks  of  a  wooden 
house,  they  crowd  into  the  houses  and  temples,  taint 
our  manners  and  language;**  nay,  on  the  throne  of  the 
successors  of  Ra  sits  a  descendant — " 

"Presumptuous  man!"  cried  the  voice  of  the  high- 
priest,  who  at  this  instant  entered  the  hall,  "  Hold  your 
tongue,  and  be  not  so  bold  as  to  wag  it  against  him 
who  is  our  king,  and  wields  the  sceptre  in  this  kingdom 
as  the  Vicar  of  Ra." 

The  speaker  bowed  and  was  silent,  then  he  and  all 
the  company  rose  to  greet  Ameni,  who  bowed  to  them 

*  "Typhonisch,"  belonging  to  Typhon  or  Seth. — Translator. 
**  At  no  period  did  Egyptian  writers  use  more  Semitic  words  than  during 
the  reigns  of  Raraescs  II.  and  his  son  Mernephtiih. 


48  UARDA. 

all  with  polite  dignity,  took  his  seat,  and  turning  to 
Gagabu  asked  him  carelessly : 

"  I  find  you  all  in  most  unpriestly  excitement ;  what 
has  disturbed  your  equanimity?" 

"We  were  discussing  the  overwhelming  influx  of 
foreigners  into  Egypt,  and  the  necessity  of  opposing 
some  resistance  to  them." 

"You  will  find  me  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  at- 
tempt," replied  Ameni.  "We  have  endured  much  al- 
ready, and  news  has  arrived  from  the  north,  which 
grieves  me  deeply." 

"Have  our  troops  sustained  a  defeat?" 

"They  continue  to  be  victorious,  but  thousands  of 
our  countrymen  have  fallen  victims  in  the  fight  or  on 
the  march.  Rameses  demands  fresh  reinforcements. 
The  pioneer,  Paaker,  has  brought  me  a  letter  from  our 
brethren  who  accompany  the  king,  and  delivered  a 
document  from  him  to  the  Regent,  which  contains  the 
order  to  send  to  him  fifty  thousand  fighting  men ;  and 
as  the  whole  of  the  soldier-caste  and  all  the  auxiliaries 
are  already  under  arms,  the  bondmen  of  the  temple, 
who  till  our  acres,  are  to  be  levied,  and  sent  into 
Asia." 

A  murmur  of  disapproval  arose  at  these  words.  The 
chief  of  the  haruspices  stamped  his  foot,  and  Gagabu 
asked : 

"What  do  you  mean  to  do?" 

"To  prepare  to  obey  the  commands  of  the  king," 
answered  Ameni,  "  and  to  call  the  heads  of  the  temples 
of  the  city  of  Amon  here  without  delay  to  hold  a  coun- 
cil. Each  must  first  in  his  holy  of  holies  seek  good 
counsel  of  the  Celestials.  When  we  have  come  to  a 


UARDA.  49 

conclusion,  we  must  next  win  the  Viceroy  over  to  our 
side.  Who  yesterday  assisted  at  his  prayers  ?" 

"  It  was  my  turn,"  said  the  chief  of  the  haruspices. 

"  Follow  me  to  my  abode,  when  the  meal  is  over." 
commanded  Ameni.  "  But  why  is  our  poet  missing  from 
our  circle?" 

At  this  moment  Pentaur  came  into  the  hall,  and 
while  he  bowed  easily  and  with  dignity  to  the  company 
and  low  before  Ameni,  he  prayed  him  to  grant  that  the 
pastophorus  Teta  should  accompany  the  leech  Nebsecht 
to  visit  the  daughter  of  the  paraschites. 

Ameni  nodded  consent  and  exclaimed:  "They  must 
make  haste.  Paaker  waits  for  them  at  the  great  gate, 
and  will  accompany  them  in  my  chariot." 

As  soon  as  Pentaur  had  left  the  party  of  feasters, 
the  old  priest  from  Chennu  exclaimed,  as  he  turned  to 
Ameni : 

"  Indeed,  holy  father,  just  such  a  one  and  no*  other 
had  I  pictured  your  poet.  He  is  like  the  Sun-god,  and 
his  demeanor  is  that  of  a  prince.  He  is  no  doubt  of 
noble  birth." 

"  His  father  is  a  homely  gardener,"  said  the  high- 
priest,  "who  indeed  tills  the  land  apportioned  to  him 
with  industry  and  prudence,  but  is  of  humble  birth  and 
rough  exterior.  He  sent  Pentaur  to  the  school*  at  an  early 
age,  and  we  have  brought  up  the  wonderfully  gifted  boy 
to  be  what  he  now  is." 

"What  office  does  he  fill  here  in  the  temple?" 

"  He  instructs  the  elder  pupils  of  the  high-school  in 
grammar  and  eloquence;  he  is  also  an  excellent  ob- 


*  It  is  certain  from  the  papyri  that  people  of  the  lower  orders  could  be 
received  into  the  priesthood.  Separate  castes  like  those  of  the  Hindoos  were 
unknown  to  the  Egyptians. 


5O  UARDA. 

server  of  the  starry  heavens,  and  a  most  skilled  inter- 
preter of  dreams,"  replied  Gagabu.  "  But  here  he  is 
again.  To  whom  is  Paaker  conducting  our  stammering 
physician  and  his  assistant?" 

"To  the  daughter  of  the  paraschites,  who  has  been 
run  over,"  answered  Pentaur.  "  But  what  a  rough  fellow 
this  pioneer  is.  His  voice  hurts  my  ears,  and  he  spoke 
to  our  leeches  as  if  they  had  been  his  slaves." 

"  He  was  vexed  with  the  commission  the  princess 
had  devolved  on  him,"  said  the  high-priest  benevolent- 
ly, "and  his  unamiable  disposition  is  hardly  mitigated 
by  his  real  piety." 

"And  yet,"  said  an  old  priest,  "his  brother,  who  left 
us  some  years  ago,  and  who  had  chosen  me  for  his 
guide  and  teacher,  was  a  particularly  loveable  and  docile 
youth." 

"And  his  father,"  said  Ameni.  "was  one  of  the 
most  superior,  energetic,  and  withal  subtle-minded  of 
men." 

"  Then  he  has  derived  his  bad  peculiarities  from 
his  mother?" 

"  By  no  means.  She  is  a  timid,  amiable,  soft-hearted 
woman." 

"But  must  the  child  always  resemble  its  parents?" 
asked  Pentaur.  "Among  the  sons  of  the  sacred  bull, 
sometimes  not  one  bears  the  distinguishing  mark  of  his 
father." 

"And  if  Paaker's  father  were  indeed  an  Apis,"  said 
Gagabu  laughing,  "according  to  your  view  the  pioneer 
himself  belongs,  alas!  to  the  peasant's  stable." 

Pentaur  did  not  contradict  him,  but  said  with  a 
smile : 

"Since  he  left  the  school  bench,  where  his  school- 


UARDA.  5 1 

fellows  called  him  the  wild  ass  on  account  of  his  un- 
ruliness,  he  has  remained  always  the  same.  He  was 
stronger  than  most  of  them,  and  yet  they  knew  no 
greater  pleasure  than  putting  him  in  a  rage." 

"Children  are  so  cruel!"  said  Ameni.  "They  judge 
only  by  appearances,  and  never  enquire  into  the  causes 
of  them.  The  deficient  are  as  guilty  in  their  eyes  as 
the  idle,  and  Paaker  could  put  forward  small  claims  to 
their  indulgence.  I  encourage  freedom  and  merriment," 
he  continued  turning  to  the  priests  from  Chennu,  "among 
our  disciples,  for  in  fettering  the  fresh  enjoyment  of 
youth  we  lame  our  best  assistant.  The  excrescences 
on  the  natural  growth  of  boys  cannot  be  more  surely  or 
painlessly  extirpated  than  in  their  wild  games.  The 
school-boy  is  the  school-boy's  best  tutor." 

"But  Paaker,"  said  the  priest  Meriapu,  "was  not 
improved  by  the  provocations  of  his  companions.  Con- 
stant contests  with  them  increased  that  roughness  which 
now  makes  him  the  terror  of  his  subordinates  and  alie- 
nates all  affection." 

"He  is  the  most  unhappy  of  all  the  many  youths, 
who  were  intrusted  to  my  care,"  said  Ameni,  "  and  I 
believe  I  know  why, — he  never  had  a  childlike  disposi- 
tion, even  when  in  years  he  was  still  a  child,  and  the 
Gods  had  denied  him  the  heavenly  gift  of  good  humor. 
Youth  should  be  modest,  and  he  was  assertive  from 
his  childhood.  He  took  the  sport  of  his  companions 
for  earnest,  and  his  father,  who  was  unwise  only 
as  a  tutor,  encouraged  him  to  resistance  instead  of 
to  forbearance,  in  the  idea  that  he  thus  would  be  steeled 
to  the  hard  life  of  a  Mohar."* 

*  The  severe  duties  of  the  Mohar  are  well  known  from  the  papyrus  of 
Anastasi  I.  in  the  lirit.  Mus.,  which  has  been  ably  treated  by  F.  Chabas, 
Voyage  d'un  Egyptien. 


52  UARDA. 

"  I  have  often  heard  the  deeds  of  the  Mohar  spoken 
of,"  said  the  old  priest  from  Chennu,  "yet  I  do  not  ex- 
actly know  what  his  office  requires  of  him." 

"  He  has  to  wander  among  the  ignorant  and  insolent 
people  of  hostile  provinces,  and  to  inform  himself  of 
the  kind  and  number  of  the  population,  to  investigate 
the  direction  of  the  mountains,  valleys,  and  rivers,  to 
set  forth  his  observations,  and  to  deliver  them  to  the 
house  of  war,*  so  that  the  march  of  the  troops  may  be 
guided  by  them." 

"The  Mohar  then  must  be  equally  skilled  as  a  warrior 
and  as  a  Scribe." 

"As  thou  sayest;  and  Paaker's  father  was  not  a  hero 
only,  but  at  the  same  time  a  writer,  whose  close  and 
clear  information  depicted  the  country  through  which 
he  had  travelled  as  plainly  as  if  it  were  seen  from  a 
mountain  height.  He  was  the  first  who  took  the  title 
of  Mohar.  The  king  held  him  in  such  high  esteem, 
that  he  was  inferior  to  no  one  but  the  king  himself,  and 
the  minister  of  the  house  of  war." 

"Was  he  of  noble  race?" 

"  Of  one  of  the  oldest  and  noblest  in  the  country. 
His  father  was  the  noble  warrior  Assa,"  answered  the 
haruspex,  "and  he  therefore,  after  he  himself  had  at- 
tained the  highest  consideration  and  vast  wealth,  es- 
corted home  the  niece  of  the  King  Hor-em-heb,  who 
would  have  had  a  claim  to  the  throne,  as  well  as  the 
Regent,  if  the  grandfather  of  the  present  Rameses  had 
not  seized  it  from  the  old  family  by  violence." 

"  Be  careful  of  your  words,"  said  Ameni,  interrupting 
the  rash  old  man.  "  Rameses  I.  was  and  is  the  grand- 

*  Corresponding  to  our  minister  of  war.  A  person  of  the  highest  im- 
portance even  in  the  earliest  times. 


UARDA.  53 

father  of  our  sovereign,  and  in  the  king's  veins,  from  his 
mother's  side,  flows  the  blood  of  the  legitimate  descen- 
dants of  the  Sun-god." 

"  But  fuller  and  purer  in  those  of  the  Regent,"  the 
haruspex  ventured  to  retort. 

"  But  Rameses  wears  the  crown,"  cried  Ameni,  "  and 
will  continue  to  wear  it  so  long  as  it  pleases  the  Gods. 
Reflect ! — your  hairs  are  grey,  and  seditious  words  are  like 
sparks,  which  are  borne  by  the  wind,  but  which,  if  they  * 
fall,  may  set  our  home  in  a  blaze.  Continue  your 
feasting,  my  lords;  but  I  would  request  you  to  speak 
no  more  this  evening  of  the  king  and  his  new  decree. 
You,  Pentaur,  fulfil  my  orders  to-morrow  morning  with 
energy  and  prudence." 

The  high-priest  bowed  and  left  the  feast. 

As  soon  as  the  door  was  shut  behind  him,  the  old 
priest  from  Chennu  spoke. 

"  What  we  have  learned  concerning  the  pioneer  of 
the  king,  a  man  who  holds  so  high  an  office,  surprises 
me.  Does  he  distinguish  himself  by  a  special  acute- 
ness  ?" 

"  He  was  a  steady  learner,  but  of  moderate  ability." 

"  Is  the  rank  of  Mohar  then  as  high  as  that  of  a 
prince  of  the  empire  ?" 

*'  By  no  means." 

"  How  then  is  it — ?" 

"  It  is,  as  it  is,"  interrupted  Gagabu.  "  The  son  of 
the  vine-dresser  has  his  mouth  full  of  grapes,  and  the 
child  of  the  door-keeper  opens  the  lock  with  words." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  an  old  priest  who  had  hitherto 
kept  silence.  "  Paaker  earned  for  himself  the  post  of 
Mohar,  and  possesses  many  praiseworthy  qualities.  He 
is  indefatigable  and  faithful,  quails  before  no  danger, 


54  UARDA. 

and  has  always  been  earnestly  devout  from  his  boy- 
hood. When  the  other  scholars  carried  their  pocket- 
money  to  the  fruit-sellers  and  confectioners  at  the 
temple-gates,  he  would  buy  geese,  and,  when  his 
mother  sent  him  a  handsome  sum,  young  gazelles,  to 
offer  to  the  Gods  on  the  altars.  No  noble  in  the  land 
owns  a  greater  treasure  of  charms  and  images  of  the 
Gods  than  he.  To  the  present  time  he  is  the  most 
pious  of  men,  and  the  offerings  for  the  dead,  which  he 
brings  in  the  name  of  his  late  father,  may  be  said  to 
be  positively  kingly." 

"  We  owe  him  gratitude  for  these  gifts,"  said  the 
treasurer,  "  and  the  high  honor  he  pays  his  father, 
even  after  his  death,  is  exceptional  and  far-famed." 

"He  emulates  him  in  every  respect,"  sneered 
Gagabu ;  "  and  though  he  does  not  resemble  him  in 
any  feature,  grows  more  and  more  like  him.  But  un- 
fortunately, it  is  as  the  goose  resembles  the  swan,  or  the 
owl  resembles  the  eagle.  For  his  father's  noble  pride 
he  has  overbearing  haughtiness ;  for  kindly  severity, 
rude  harshness ;  for  dignity,  conceit ;  for  perseverance, 
obstinacy.  Devout  he  is,  and  we  profit  by  his  gifts. 
The  treasurer  may  rejoice  over  them,  and  the  dates 
off  a  crooked  tree  taste  as  well  as  those  off  a  straight 
one.  But  if  I  were  the  Divinity  I  should  prize  them 
no  higher  than  a  hoopoe's  crest ;  for  He,  who  sees  into 
the  heart  of  the  giver — alas  !  what  does  he  see !  Storms 
and  darkness  are  of  the  dominion  of  Seth,  and  in 
there — in  there — "  and  the  old  man  struck  his  broad 
breast — "  all  is  wrath  and  tumult,  and  there  is  not  a 
gleam  of  the  calm  blue  heaven  of  Ra,  that  shines  soft 
and  pure  in  the  soul  of  the  pious ;  no,  not  a  spot  as 
large  as  this  wheaten-cake." 


UARDA.  55 

"  Hast  thou  then  sounded  to  the  depths  of  his 
soul  ?"  asked  the  haruspex. 

"  As  this  beaker  •!"  exclaimed  Gagabu,  and  he 
touched  the  rim  of  an  empty  drinking-vessel.  "  For 
fifteen  years  without  ceasing.  The  man  has  been  of 
service  to  us,  is  so  still,  and  will  continue  to  be.  Our 
leeches  extract  salves  from  bitter  gall  and  deadly 
poisons ;  and  folks  like  these — " 

"  Hatred  speaks  in  thee,"  said  the  haruspex,  inter- 
rupting the  indignant  old  man. 

"  Hatred !"  he  retorted,  and  his  lips  quivered. 
"  Hatred  ?"  and  he  struck  his  breast  with  his  clenched 
hand.  "  It  is  true,  it  is  no  stranger  to  this  old 
heart.  But  open  thine  ears,  O  haruspex,  and  all 
you  others  too  shall  hear.  I  recognize  two  sorts  of 
hatred.  The  one  is  between  man  and  man ;  that  I 
have  gagged,  smothered,  killed,  annihilated — with  what 
efforts,  the  Gods  know.  In  past  years  I  have  cer- 
tainly tasted  its  bitterness,  and  served  it  like  a  wasp, 
which,  though  it  knows  that  in  stinging  it  must  die, 
yet  uses  its  sting.  But  now  I  am  old  in  years,  that  is 
in  knowledge,  and  I  know  that  of  all  the  powerful  im- 
pulses which  stir  our  hearts,  one  only  comes  solely 
from  Seth,  one  only  belongs  wholly  to  the  Evil  one — 
and  that  is  hatred  between  man  and  man.  Covetous- 
ness  may  lead  to  industry,  sensual  appetites  may  beget 
noble  fruit,  but  hatred  is  a  devastator,  and  in  the  soul 
that  it  occupies  all  that  is  noble  grows  not  upwards 
and  towards  the  light,  but  downwards  to  the  earth 
and  to  darkness.  Everything  may  be  forgiven  by  the 
Gods,  save  only  hatred  between  man  and  man.  But 
there  is  another  sort  of  hatred  that  is  pleasing  to  the 
Gods,  and  which  you  must  cherish  if  you  would  not 


56  UARDA. 

miss  their  presence  in  your  souls ;  that  is,  hatred  for  all 
that  hinders  the  growth  of  light  and  goodness  and 
purity — the  hatred  of  Horus  for  Seth.  The  Gods 
would  punish  me  if  I  hated  Paaker  whose  father  was 
dear  to  me ;  but  the  spirits  of  darkness  would  possess 
the  old  heart  in  my  breast  if  it  were  devoid  of  horror 
for  the  covetous  and  sordid  devotee,  who  would  fain 
buy  earthly  joys  of  the  Gods  with  gifts  of  beasts  and 
wine,  as  men  exchange  an  ass  for  a  robe,  in  whose 
soul  seethe  dark  promptings.  Paaker's  gifts  can  no 
more  be  pleasing  to  the  Celestials  than  a  cask  of  attar 
of  roses  would  please  thee,  haruspex,  in  which  scorpions, 
centipedes,  and  venomous  snakes  were  swimming.  I  have 
long  led  this  man's  prayers,  and  never  have  I  heard 
him  crave  for  noble  gifts,  but  a  thousand  times  for  the 
injury  of  the  men  he  hates." 

"  In  the  holiest  prayers  that  come  down  to  us  from 
the  past,"  said  the  haruspex,  "  the  Gods  are  entreated 
to  throw  our  enemies  under  our  feet;  and,  besides, 
I  have  often  heard  Paaker  pray  fervently  for  the  bliss 
of  his  parents." 

"  You  are  a  priest  and  one  of  the  initiated,"  cried 
Gagabu,  "  and  you  know  not — or  will  not  seem  to 
know — that  by  the  enemies  for  whose  overthrow  we 
pray,  are  meant  only  the  demons  of  darkness  and  the 
outlandish  peoples  by  whom  Egypt  is  endangered! 
Paaker  prayed  for  his  parents  ?  Ay,  and  so  will  he  for 
his  children,  for  they  will  be  his  future  as  his  fore- 
fathers are  his  past.  If  he  had  a  wife,  his  offerings 
would  be  for  her  too,  for  she  would  be  the  half  of  his 
own  present." 

"  In  spite  of  all  this,"  said  the  haruspex  Septah, 
"  you  are  too  hard  in  your  judgment  of  Paaker,  for 


UARDA.  57 

although  he  was  born  under  a  lucky  sign,  the  Hathors 
denied  him  all  that  makes  youth  happy.  The  enemy 
for  whose  destruction  he  prays  is  Mena,  the  king's  char- 
ioteer, and,  indeed,  he  must  have  been  of  superhuman 
magnanimity  or  of  unmanly  feebleness,  if  he  could  have 
wished  well  to  the  man  who  robbed  him  of  the  beauti- 
ful wife  who  was  destined  for  him." 

"How  could  that  happen?"  asked  the  priest  from 
Chennu.  "A  betrothal  is  sacred."* 

"Paaker,"  replied  Septah,  "was  attached  with  all  the 
strength  of  his  ungoverned  but  passionate  and  faithful 
heart  to  his  cousin  Nefert,  the  sweetest  maid  in  Thebes, 
the  daughter  of  Katuti,  his  mother's  sister;  and  she  was 
promised  to  him  to  wife.  Then  his  father,  whom  he 
accompanied  on  his  marches,  was  mortally  wounded  in 
Syria.  The  king  stood  by  his  death-bed,  and  granting 
his  last  request,  invested  his  son  with  his  rank  and  office. 
Paaker  brought  the  mummy  of  his  father  home  to  Thebes, 
gave  him  princely  interment,  and  then  before  the  time  of 
mourning  was  over,  hastened  back  to  Syria,  where,  while 
the  king  returned  to  Egypt,  it  was  his  duty  to  recon- 
noitre the  new  possessions.  At  last  he  could  quit  the 
scene  of  war  with  the  hope  of  marrying  Nefert.  He 
rode  his  horse  to  death  the  sooner  to  reach  the  goal  of 
his  desires;  but  when  he  reached  Tanis,  the  city  of 
Rameses,  the  news  met  him  that  his  affianced  cousin  had 
been  given  to  another,  the  handsomest  and  bravest  man 
in  Thebes — the  noble  Mena.  The  more  precious  a  thing 
is  that  we  hope  to  possess,  the  more  we  are  justified 
in  complaining  of  him  who  contests  our  claim,  and  can 

*  In  the  demotic  papyrus  preserved  at  Bulaq  (novel  by  Setnnn)  first  treated 
by  H.  Brugsch,  the  following  words  occur:  "  Is  it  not  the  law,  which  unites  one 
to  another?"  Betrothed  brides  are  mentioned,  for  instance  on  the  sarcophagus 
of  Unnefer  at  Bulaq. 


58 

win  it  from  us.  Paakcr's  blood  must  have  been  as  cold 
as  a  frog's  if  he  could  have  forgiven  Mena  instead  of 
hating  him,  and  the  cattle  he  has  offered  to  the  Gods  to 
bring  down  their  wrath  on  the  head  of  the  traitor  may 
be  counted  by  hundreds." 

"And  if  you  accept  them,  knowing  why  they  are 
offered,  you  do  unwisely  and  wrongly,"  exclaimed 
Gagabu.  "  If  I  were  a  layman,  I  would  take  good  care 
not  to  worship  a  Divinity  who  condescends  to  serve 
the  foulest  human  ends  for  a  reward.  But  the  omni- 
scient Spirit,  that  rules  the  world  in  accordance  with 
eternal  laws,  knows  nothing  of  these  sacrifices,  which 
only  tickle  the  nostrils  of  the  evil  one.  The  treasurer 
rejoices  when  a  beautiful  spotless  heifer  is  driven  in 
among  our  herds.  But  Seth  rubs  his  red  hands*  with 
delight  that  he  accepts  it.  My  friends,  I  have  heard 
the  vows  which  Paaker  has  poured  out  over  our  pure 
altars,  like  hogwash  that  men  set  before  swine.  Pesti- 
lence and  boils  has  he  called  down  on  Mena,  and  bar- 
renness and  heartache  on  the  poor  sweet  woman;  and  I 
really  cannot  blame  her  for  preferring  a  battle-horse 
to  a  hippopotamus — a  Mena  to  a  Paaker." 

"Yet  the  Immortals  must  have  thought  his  remon- 
strances less  unjustifiable,  and  have  stricter  views  as  to 
the  inviolable  nature  of  a  betrothal  than  you,"  said  the 
treasurer,  "for  Nefert,  during  four  years  of  married  life, 
has  passed  only  a  few  weeks  with  her  wandering  husband, 
and  remains  childless.  It  is  hard  to  me  to  understand 
how  you,  Gagabu,  who  so  often  absolve  where  we  con- 
demn, can  so  relentlessly  judge  so  great  a  benefactor  to 
our  temple." 

*  Red  was  the  color  of  Seth  and  Typhon.  The  evil  one  is  named  the  Red, 
»s  for  instance  in  the  papyrus  of  Ebcrs.  Red-haired  men  were  typhonic. 


UARDA. 


59 


"And  I  fail  to  comprehend,"  exclaimed  the  old  man, 
"how  you — you  who  so  willingly  condemn,  can  so 
weakly  excuse  this — this — call  him  what  you  will." 

"  He  is  indispensable  to  us  at  this  time,"  said  the 
haruspex. 

"Granted,"  said  Gagabu,  lowering  his  tone.  "And 
I  think  still  to  make  use  of  him,  as  the  high-priest  has 
done  in  past  years  with  the  best  effect  when  dangers 
have  threatened  us;  and  a  dirty  road  serves  when  it 
makes  for  the  goal.  The  Gods  themselves  often  permit 
safety  to  come  from  what  is  evil,  but  shall  we  therefore 
call  evil  good — or  say  the  hideous  is  beautiful  ?  Make 
use  of  the  king's  pioneer  as  you  will,  but  do  not,  be- 
cause you  are  indebted  to  him  for  gifts,  neglect  to  judge 
him  according  to  his  imaginings  and  deeds  if  you  would 
deserve  your  title  of  the  Initiated  and  the  Enlightened. 
Let  him  bring  his  cattle  into  our  temple  and  pour  his 
gold  into  our  treasury,  but  do  not  defile  your  souls  with 
the  thought  that  the  offerings  of  such  a  heart  and  such  a 
hand  are  pleasing  to  the  Divinity.  Above  all,"  and  the 
voice  of  the  old  man  had  a  heart-felt  impressiveness, 
"Above  all,  do  not  flatter  the  erring  man — and  this  is 
what  you  do — with  the  idea  that  he  is  walking  in  the 
right  way;  for  your,  for  our  first  duty,  O  my  friends,  is 
always  this — to  guide  the  souls  of  those  who  trust  in 
us  to  goodness  and  truth." 

"Oh,  my  master!"  cried  Pentaur,  "how  tender  is 
thy  severity." 

"  I  have  shown  the  hideous  sores  of  this  man's  soul," 
said  the  old  man,  as  he  rose  to  quit  the  hall.  "Your 
praise  will  aggravate  them,  your  blame  will  tend  to 
heal  them.  Nay,  if  you  are  not  content  to  do  your 
duty,  old  Gagabu  will  come  some  day  with  his  knife, 


6O  UARDA. 

and  will  throw  the  sick  man  down  and  cut  out  the 
canker." 

During  this  speech  the  haruspex  had  frequently 
shrugged  his  shoulders.  Now  he  said,  turning  to  the 
priests  from  Chennu — 

"  Gagabu  is  a  foolish,  hot-headed  old  man,  and  you 
have  heard  from  his  lips  just  such  a  sermon  as  the 
young  scribes  keep  by  them  when  they  enter  on  the 
duties  of  the  care  of  souls.  His  sentiments  are  ex- 
cellent, but  he  easily  overlooks  small  things  for  the 
sake  of  great  ones.  Ameni  would  tell  you  that  ten 
souls,  no,  nor  a  hundred,  do  not  matter  when  the  safety 
of  the  whole  is  in  question." 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  night  during  which  the  Princess  Bent-Anat 
and  her  followers  had  knocked  at  the  gate  of  the 
House  of  Seti  was  past. 

The  fruitful  freshness  of  the  dawn  gave  way  to 
the  heat,  which  began  to  pour  down  from  the  deep 
blue  cloudless  vault  of  heaven.  The  eye  could  no 
longer  gaze  at  the  mighty  globe  of  light  whose  rays 
pierced  the  fine  white  dust  which  hung  over  the 
declivity  of  the  hills  that  enclosed  the  city  of  the 
dead  on  the  west.  The  limestone  rocks  showed  with 
blinding  clearness,  the  atmosphere  quivered  as  if  heated 
over  a  flame;  each  minute  the  shadows  grew  shorter 
and  their  outlines  sharper. 

All  the  beasts  which  we  saw  peopling  the  Necro- 
polis in  the  evening  had  now  withdrawn  into  their 
lurking  places;  only  man  defied  the  heat  of  the  summer 


UARDA.  6l 

day.  Undisturbed  he  accomplished  his  daily  work,  and 
only  laid  his  tools  aside  for  a  moment,  with  a  sigh,  when 
a  cooling  breath  blew  across  the  overflowing  stream  and 
fanned  his  brow. 

The  harbor  or  dock  where  those  landed  who  had 
crossed  from  eastern  Thebes  was  crowded  with  gay 
barks  and  boats  waiting  to  return. 

The  crews  of  rowers  and  steersmen  who  were  at- 
tached to  priestly  brotherhoods  or  noble  houses,  were 
enjoying  a  rest  till  the  parties  they  had  brought  across 
the  Nile  drew  towards  them  again  in  long  processions. 

Under  a  wide-spreading  sycamore  a  vendor  of 
eatables,  spirituous  drinks,  and  acids  for  cooling  the 
water,  had  set  up  his  stall,  and  close  to  him,  a  crowd 
of  boatmen,  and  drivers  shouted  and  disputed  as  they 
passed  the  time  in  eager  games  at  morra.* 

Many  sailors  lay  on  the  decks  of  the  vessels,  others 
on  the  shore ;  here  in  the  thin  shade  of  a  palm  tree, 
there  in  the  full  blaze  of  the  sun,  from  those  burning 
rays  they  protected  themselves  by  spreading  the  cotton 
cloths,  which  served  them  for  cloaks,  over  their  faces. 

Between  the  sleepers  passed  bondmen  and  slaves, 
brown  and  black,  in  long  files  one  behind  the  other, 
bending  under  the  weight  of  heavy  burdens,  which 
had  to  be  conveyed  to  their  destination  at  the  temples 
for  sacrifice,  or  to  the  dealers  in  various  wares.  Builders 
dragged  blocks  of  stone,  which  had  come  from  the 
quarries  of  Chennu  and  Suan,**  on  sledges  to  the  site 
of  a  new  temple ;  laborers  poured  water  under  the  run- 


**  The  Syene  of  the  Greeks,  now  called  Assouan  at  the  first  cataract. 


62  UARDA. 

ners,  that  the  heavily  loaded  and  dried  wood  should 
not  take  fire. 

All  these  working  men  were  driven  with  sticks  by 
their  overseers,  and  sang  at  their  labor;  but  the 
voices  of  the  leaders  sounded  muffled  and  hoarse, 
though,  when  after  their  frugal  meal  they  enjoyed  an 
hour  of  repose,  they  might  be  heard  loud  enough. 
Their  parched  throats  refused  to  sing  in  the  noontide 
of  their  labor. 

Thick  clouds  of  gnats  followed  these  tormented 
gangs,  who  with  dull  and  spirit-broken  endurance  suf- 
fered alike  the  stings  of  the  insects  and  the  blows  of 
their  driver.  The  gnats  pursued  them  to  the  very  heart 
of  the  City  of  the  Dead,  where  they  joined  themselves 
to  the  flies  and  wasps,  which  swarmed  in  countless 
crowds  around  the  slaughter  houses,  cooks'  shops,  stalls 
of  fried  fish,  and  booths  of  meat,  vegetable,  honey, 
cakes  and  drinks,  which  were  doing  a  brisk  business 
in  spite  of  the  noontide  heat  and  the  oppressive  at- 
mosphere heated  and  filled  with  a  mixture  of  odors. 

The  nearer  one  got  to  the  Libyan  frontier,  the 
quieter  it  became,  and  the  silence  of  death  reigned  in 
the  broad  north-west  valley,  where  in  the  southern 
slope  the  father  of  the  reigning  king  had  caused  his 
tomb  to  be  hewn,  and  where  the  stone-mason  of  the 
Pharaoh  had  prepared  a  rock  tomb  for  him. 

A  newly  made  road  led  into  this  rocky  gorge, 
whose  steep  yellow  and  brown  walls  seemed  scorched 
by  the  sun  in  many  blackened  spots,  and  looked  like 
a  ghostly  array  of  shades  that  had  risen  from  the 
tombs  in  the  night  and  remained  there. 

At  the  entrance  of  this  valley  some  blocks  of  stone 
formed  a  sort  of  doorway,  and  through  this,  indifferent 


UARDA.  63 

to  the  heat  of  the. day,  a  small  but  brilliant  troop  of 
men  was  passing. 

Four  slender  youths  as  staff-bearers  led  the  pro- 
cession, each  clothed  only  with  an  apron  and  a  flowing 
head-cloth  of  gold  brocade;  the  mid-day  sun  played  on 
their  smooth,  moist,  red-brown  skins,  and  their  supple 
naked  feet  hardly  stirred  the  stones  on  the  road. 

Behind  them  followed  an  elegant,  two-wheeled 
chariot,  with  two  prancing  brown  horses  bearing  tufts 
of  red  and  blue  feathers  on  their  noble  heads,  and 
seeming  by  the  bearing  of  their  arched  necks  and 
flowing  tails  to  express  their  pride  in  the  gorgeous  hous- 
ings, richly  embroidered  in  silver,  purple,  and  blue  and 
golden  ornaments,  which  they  wore — and  even  more 
in  their  beautiful,  royal  charioteer,  Bent-Anat,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Rameses,  at  whose  lightest  word  they  pricked 
their  ears,  and  whose  little  hand  guided  them  with  a 
scarcely  perceptible  touch. 

Two  young  men  dressed  like  the  other  runners  fol- 
lowed the  chariot,  and  kept  the  rays  of  the  sun  off  the 
face  of  their  mistress  with  large  fans  of  snow-white 
ostrich  feathers  fastened  to  long  wands. 

By  the  side  of  Bent-Anat,  so  long  as  the  road  was 
wide  enough  to  allow  of  it,  was  carried  Nefert,  the  wife 
of  Mena,  in  her  gilt  litter,  borne  by  eight  tawny  bearers, 
who,  running  with  a  swift  and  equally  measured  step, 
did  not  remain  far  behind  the  trotting  horses  of  the 
princess  and  her  fan-bearers. 

Both  the  women,  whom  we  now  see  for  the  first 
time  in  daylight,  were  of  remarkable  but  altogether 
different  beauty. 

The  wife  of  Mena  had  preserved  the  appearance 
of  a  maiden;  her  large  almond-shaped  eyes  had  a 


64  UARDA. 

dreamy  surprised  look  out  from  under  her  long  eye- 
lashes, and  her  figure  of  hardly  the  middle-height  had 
acquired  a  little  stoutness  without  losing  its  youthful 
grace.  No  drop  of  foreign  blood  flowed  in  her  veins, 
as  could  be  seen  in  the  color  of  her  skin,  which  was 
of  that  fresh  and  equal  hue  which  holds  a  medium 
between  golden  yellow  and  bronze  brown — and  which 
to  this  day  is  so  charming  in  the  maidens  of  Abys- 
sinia— in  her  straight  nose,  her  well-formed  brow,  in 
her  smooth  but  thick  black  hair,  and  in  the  fineness  of 
her  hands  and  feet,  which  were  ornamented  with  circles 
of  gold. 

The  maiden  princess  next  to  her  had  hardly 
reached  her  nineteenth  year,  and  yet  something  of  a 
womanly  self-consciousness  betrayed  itself  in  her  de 
men  nor.  Her  stature  was  by  almost  a  head  taller 
than  that  of  her  friend,  her  skin  was  fairer,  her  blue 
eyes  kind  and  frank,  without  tricks  of  glance,  but  clear 
and  honest,  her  profile  was  noble  but  sharply  cut,  and 
resembled  that  of  her  father,  as  a  landscape  in  the 
mild  and  softening  light  of  the  moon  resembles  the 
same  landscape  in  the  broad  clear  light  of  day.  The 
scarcely  perceptible  aquiline  of  her  nose,  she  inherited 
from  her  Semitic  ancestors,*  as  well  as  the  slightly 
waving  abundance  of  her  brown  hair,  over  which  she 
wore  a  blue  and  white  striped  silk  kerchief;  its  care- 
fully-pleated folds  were  held  in  place  by  a  gold  ring, 
from  which  in  front  a  horned  uraeus**  raised  its  head 


*  Many  portraits  have  come  down  to  us  of  Rameses ;  the  finest  is  the  noble 
statue  preserved  at  Turin.  A  likeness  has  been  detected  between  its  profile, 
with  its  slightly  aquiline  nose,  and  that  of  Napoleon  I. 

**  A  venomous  Egyptian  serpent  which  was  adopted  as  the  symbol  of 
sovereign  power,  in  consequence  of  its  swift  effects  for  life  or  death.  It  is  never 
wanting  to  the  diadem  of  the  Pharaohs. 


UARDA.  65 

crowned  with  a  disk  of  rubies.  From  her  left  temple 
a  large  tress,  plaited  with  gold  thread,  hung  down  to 
her  waist,  the  sign  of  her  royal  birth.  She  wore  a 
purple  dress  of  fine,  almost  transparent  stuff,  that  was 
confined  with  a  gold  belt  and  straps.  Round  her 
throat  was  fastened  a  necklace  like  <i  collar,  made  of 
pearls  and  costly  stones,  and  hanging  low  down  on  her 
well-formed  bosom. 

Behind  the  princess  stood  her  charioteer,  an  old 
officer  of  noble  birth. 

Three  litters  followed  the  chariot  of  the  princess,  and 
in  each  sat  two  officers  of  the  court;  then  came  a  dozen 
of  slaves  ready  for  any  service,  and  lastly  a  crowd 
of  wand-bearers  to  drive  off  the  idle  populace,  and  of 
lightly-armed  soldiers,  who — dressed  only  in  the  apron 
and  head-cloth — each  bore  a  dagger-shaped  sword  in 
his  girdle,  an  axe  in  his  right  hand,  and  in  his  left,  in 
token  of  his  peaceful  service,  a  palm-branch. 

Like  dolphins  round  a  ship,  little  girls  in  long  shirt- 
shaped  garments  swarmed  round  the  whole  length  of 
the  advancing  procession,  bearing  water-jars  on  their 
steady  heads,  and  at  a  sign  from  any  one  who  was 
thirsty  were  ready  to  give  him  a  drink.  With  steps 
as  light  as  the  gazelle  they  often  outran  the  horses, 
and  nothing  could  be  more  graceful  than  the  action 
with  which  the  taller  ones  bent  over  with  the  water- 
jars  held  in  both  arms  to  the  drinker. 

The  courtiers,  cooled  and  shaded  by  waving  fans, 
and  hardly  perceiving  the  noontide  heat,  conversed  at 
their  ease  about  indifferent  matters,  and  the  princess 
pitied  the  poor  horses,  who  were  tormented  as  they 
ran,  by  annoying  gadflies;  while  the  runners  and 
soldiers,  the  litter-bearers  and  fan-bearers,  the  girls 


66  UARDA. 

with  their  jars  and  the  panting  slaves,  were  compelled 
to  exert  themselves  under  the  rays  of  the  mid-day 
sun  in  the  service  of  their  masters,  till  their  sinews 
threatened  to  crack  and  their  lungs  to  burst  their 
bodies. 

At  a  spot  where  the  road  widened,  and  where,  to 
the  right,  lay  the  steep  cross-valley  where  the  last  kings 
of  the  dethroned  race  were  interred,  the  procession 
stopped  at  a  sign  from  Paaker,  who  preceded  the 
princess,  and  who  drove  his  fiery  black  Syrian  horses 
with  so  heavy  a  hand  that  the  bloody  foam  fell  from 
their  bits. 

When  the  Mohar  had  given  the  reins  into  the  hand 
of  a  servant,  he  sprang  from  his  chariot,  and  after  the 
usual  form  of  obeisance  said  to  the  princess: 

"In  this  valley  lies  the  loathsome  den  of  the  people, 
to  whom  thou,  O  princess,  dost  deign  to  do  such  high 
honor.  Permit  me  to  go  forward  as  guide  to  thy 
party." 

"We  will  go  on  foot,"  said  the  princess,  "and  leave 
our  followers  behind  here," 

Paaker  bowed,  Bent-Anat  threw  the  reins  to  her 
charioteer  and  sprang  to  the  ground,  the  wife  of  Mena 
and  the  courtiers  left  their  litters,  and  the  fan-bearers 
and  chamberlains  were  about  to  accompany  their  mis- 
tress on  foot  into  the  little  valley,  when  she  turned 
round  and  ordered,  "  Remain  behind,  all  of  you.  Only 
Paaker  and  Nefert  need  go  with  me." 

The  princess  hastened  forward  into  the  gorge,  which 
was  oppressive  with  the  noon-tide  heat;  but  she  mod- 
erated her  steps  as  soon  as  she  observed  that  the 
frailer  Nefert  found  it  difficult  to  follow  her. 


UARDA.  67 

At  a  bend  in  the  road  Paaker  stood  still,  and  with 
him  Bent-Anat  and  Nefert.  Neither  of  them  had  spoken 
a  word  during  their  walk.  The  valley  was  perfectly  still 
and  deserted;  on  the  highest  pinnacles  of  the  cliff, 
which  rose  perpendicularly  to  the  right,  sat  a  long  row 
of  vultures,  as  motionless  as  if  the  mid-day  heat  had 
taken  all  strength  out  of  their  wings. 

Paaker  bowed  before  them  as  being  the  sacred 
animals  of  the  Great  Goddess  of  Thebes,*  and  the  two 
women  silently  followed  his  example. 

"  There,"  said  the  Mohar,  pointing  to  two  huts  close 
to  the  left  cliff  of  the  valley,  built  of  bricks  made  of 
dried  Nile-mud,  "  there,  the  neatest,  next  the  cave  in 
the  rock." 

Bent-Anat  went  towards  the  solitary  hovel  with  a 
beating  heart ;  Paaker  let  the  ladies  go  first.  A  few 
steps  brought  them  to  an  ill-constructed  fence  of  cane- 
stalks,  palm-branches,  briars  and  straw,  roughly  thrown 
together.  A  heart-rending  cry  of  pain  from  within  the 
hut  trembled  in  the  air  and  arrested  the  steps  of  the 
two  women.  Nefert  staggered  and  clung  to  her  stronger 
companion,  whose  beating  heart  she  seemed  to  hear. 
Both  stood  a  few  minutes  as  if  spellbound,  then  the 
princess  called  Paaker,  and  said  : 

"  You  go  first  into  the  house." 

Paaker  bowed  to  the  ground. 

"  I  will  call  the  man  out,"  he  said,  "  but  how  dare 
we  step  over  his  threshold.  Thou  knowest  such  a 
proceeding  will  defile  us." 

*  She  formed  a  triad  with  Ainon  and  Chunsu  under  the  name  of  Muth. 
The  great  "  Sanctuary  of  the  kingdom  " — the  temple  of  Karnak — was  dedicated 
to  them. 


68  UARDA. 

Nefert  looked  pleadingly  at  Bent-Anat,  but  the  prin- 
cess repeated  her  command. 

"Go  before  me;  I  have  no  fear  of  defilement." 

The  Mohar  still  hesitated. 

"Wilt  thou  provoke  the  Gods? — and  defile  thyself?" 

But  the  princess  let  him  say  no  more;  she  signed 
to  Nefert,  who  raised  her  hands  in  horror  and  aversion; 
so,  with  a  shrug  of  her  shoulders,  she  left  her  com- 
panion behind  with  the  Mohar,  and  stepped  through  an 
opening  in  the  hedge  into  a  little  court,  where  lay  two 
brown  goats;  a  donkey  with  his  forelegs  tied  together 
stood  by,  and  a  few  hens  were  scattering  the  dust  about 
in  a  vain  search  for  food. 

Sqon  she  stood,  alone,  before  the  door  of  the 
paraschites'  hovel.  No  one  perceived  her,  but  she  could 
not  take  her  eyes — accustomed  only  to  scenes  of  order 
and  splendor — from  the  gloomy  but  wonderfully 
strange  picture,  which  riveted  her  attention  and  her 
sympathy.  At  last  she  went  up  to  the  doorway,  which 
was  too  low  for  her  tall  figure.  Her  heart  shrunk 
painfully  within  her,  and  she  would  have  wished  to 
grow  smaller,  and,  instead  of  shining  in  splendor,  to 
have  found  herself  wrapped  in  a  beggar's  robe. 

Could  she  step  into  this  hovel  decked  with  gold 
and  jewels  as  if  in  mockery  ? — like  a  tyrant  who  should 
feast  at  a  groaning  table  and  compel  the  starving  to 
look  on  at  the  banquet.  Her  delicate  perception  made 
her  feel  what  trenchant  discord  her  appearance  offered 
to  all  that  surrounded  her,  and  the  discord  pained  her; 
for  she  could  not  conceal  from  herself  that  misery 
and  external  meanness  were  here  entitled  to  give  the 
key-note  and  that  her  magnificence  derived  no  especial 
grandeur  from  contrast  with  all  these  modest  acces- 


UARDA.  69 

series,  amid  dust,  gloom,  and  suffering,  but  rather  be- 
came disproportionate  and  hideous,  like  a  giant  among 
pigmies. 

She  had  already  gone  too  far  to  turn  back,  or  she 
would  willingly  have  done  so.  The  longer  she  gazed 
into  the  hut,  the  more  deeply  she  felt  the  impotence  of 
her  princely  power,  the  nothingness  of  the  splendid 
gifts  with  which  she  approached  it,  and  that  she 
might  not  tread  the  dusty  floor  of  this  wretched  hovel 
but  in  all  humility,  and  to  crave  a  pardon. 

The  room  into  which  she  looked  was  low  but  not 
very  small,  and  obtained  from  two  cross  lights  a 
strange  and  unequal  illumination;  on  one  side  the  light 
came  through  the  door,  and  on  the  other  through  an 
opening  in  the  time-worn  ceiling  of  the  room,  which  had 
never  before  harbored  so  many  and  such  different 
guests. 

All  attention  was  concentrated  on  a  group,  which 
was  clearly  lighted  up  from  the  doorway. 

On  the  dusty  floor  of  the  room  cowered  an  old 
woman,  with  dark  weather-beaten  features  and  tangled 
hair  that  had  long  been  grey.  Her  black -blue  cotton 
shirt  was  open  over  her  withered  bosom,  and  showed  a 
blue  star  tattooed  upon  it. 

In  her  lap  she  supported  with  her  hands  the  head 
of  a  girl,  whose  slender  body  lay  motionless  on  a  nar- 
row, ragged  mat.  The  little  white  feet  of  the  sick  girl 
almost  touched  the  threshold.  Near  to  them  squatted 
a  benevolent-looking  old  man,  who  wore  only  a  coarse 
apron,  and  sitting  all  in  a  heap,  bent  forward  now  and 
then,  rubbing  the  child's  feet  with  his  lean  hands  and 
muttering  a  few  words  to  himself. 

The  sufferer  wore  nothing  but  a  short  petticoat  of 


70  UARDA. 

coarse  light-blue  stuff.  Her  face,  half  resting  on  the 
lap  of  the  old  woman,  was  graceful  and  regular  in 
form,  her  eyes  were  half  shut — like  those  of  a  child, 
whose  soul  is  wrapped  in  some  sweet  dream — but 
from  her  finely  chiselled  lips  there  escaped  from  time 
to  time  a  painful,  almost  convulsive  sob. 

An  abundance  of  soft,  but  disordered  reddish  fair 
hair,  in  which  clung  a  few  withered  flowers,  fell  over 
the  lap  of  the  old  woman  and  on  to  the  mat  where 
she  lay.  Her  cheeks  were  white  and  rosy-red,  and 
when  the  young  surgeon  Nebsecht — who  sat  by  her 
side,  near  his  blind,  stupid  companion,  the  litany- 
singer — lifted  the  ragged  cloth  that  had  been  thrown 
over  her  bosom,  which  had  been  crushed  by  the 
chariot  wheel,  or  when  she  lifted  her  slender  arm,  it 
was  seen  that  she  had  the  shining  fairness  of  those 
daughters  of  the  north  who  not  unfrequently  came  to 
Thebes  among  the  king's  prisoners  of  war. 

The  two  physicians  sent  hither  from  the  House  of 
Seti  sat  on  the  left  side  of  the  maiden  oh  a  little 
carpet.  From  time  to  time  one  or  the  other  laid  his 
hand  over  the  heart  of  the  sufferer,  or  listened  to  her 
breathing,  or  opened  his  case  of  medicaments,  and 
moistened  the  compress  on  her  wounded  breast  with 
a  white  ointment. 

In  a  wide  circle  close  to  the  wall  of  the  room 
crouched  several  women,  young  and  old,  friends  of 
the  paraschites,  who  from  time  to  time  gave  expression 
to  their  deep  sympathy  by  a  piercing  cry  of  lamentation. 
One  of  them  rose  at  regular  intervals  to  fill  the  earthen 
bowl  by  the  side  of  the  physician  with  fresh  water. 
As  often  as  the  sudden  coolness  of  a  fresh  compress  on 
her  hot  bosom  startled  the  sick  girl,  she  opened  her 


UARDA.  71 

eyes,  but  always  soon  to  close  them  again  for  a  longer 
interval,  and  turned  them  at  first  in  surprise,  and  then 
with  gentle  reverence,  towards  a  particular  spot. 

These  glances  had  hitherto  been  unobserved  by 
him  to  whom  they  were  directed. 

Leaning  against  the  wall  on  the  right  hand  side  of 
the  room,  dressed  in  his  long,  snow-white  priest's  robe, 
Pentaur  stood  awaiting  the  princess.  His  head-dress 
touched  the  ceiling,  and  the  narrow  streak  of  light, 
which  fell  through  the  opening  in  the  roof,  streamed 
on  his  handsome  head  and  his  breast,  while  all  around 
him  was  veiled  in  twilight  gloom. 

Once  more  the  suffering  girl  looked  up,  and  her 
glance  this  time  met  the  eye  of  the  young  priest,  who 
immediately  raised  his  hand,  and  half-mechanically,  in 
a  low  voice,  uttered  the  words  of  blessing;  and  then 
once  more  fixed  his  gaze  on  the .  dingy  floor,  and 
pursued  his  own  reflections. 

Some  hours  since  he  had  come  hither,  obedient  to 
the  orders  of  Ameni,  to  impress  on  the  princess  that 
she  had  defiled  herself  by  touching  a  paraschites,  and 
could  only  be  cleansed  again  by  the  hand  of  the 
priests. 

He  had  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  paraschites 
most  reluctantly,  and  the  thought  that  he,  of  all  men, 
had  been  selected  to  censure  a  deed  of  the  noblest 
humanity,  and  to  bring  her  who  had  done  it  to  judg- 
ment, weighed  upon  him  as  a  calamity. 

In  his  intercourse  with  his  friend  Nebsecht,  Pentaui 
had  thrown  off  many  fetters,  and  given  place  to  many 
thoughts  that  his  master  would  have  held  sinful  and 
presumptuous;  but  at  the  same  time  he  acknowledged 
the  sanctity  of  the  old  institutions,  which  were  upheld 


72  UARDA. 

by  those  whom  he  had  learned  to  regard  as  the  divinely- 
appointed  guardians  of  the  spiritual  possessions  of  God's 
people ;  nor  was  he  wholly  free  from  the  pride  of  caste 
and  the  haughtiness  which,  with  prudent  intent,  were 
inculcated  in  the  priests.  He  held  the  common  man, 
who  put  forth  his  strength  to  win  a  maintenance  for 
his  belongings  by  honest  bodily  labor — the  merchant — 
the  artizan — the  peasant,  nay  even  the  Avarrior,  as  far 
beneath  the  godly  brotherhood  who  strove  for  only 
spiritual  ends ;  and  most  of  all  he  scorned  the  idler, 
given  up  to  sensual  enjoyments. 

He  held  him  unclean  who  had  been  branded  by 
the  law  ;  and  how  should  it  have  been  otherwise  ? 

These  people,  who  at  the  embalming  of  the  dead 
opened  the  body  of  the  deceased,  had  become  despised 
for  their  office  of  mutilating  the  sacred  temple  of  the 
soul ;  but  no  paraschites  chose  his  calling  of  his  own 
free  will.*  It  was  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and 
he  who  was  born  a  paraschites — so  he  was  taught — had 
to  expiate  an  old  guilt  with  which  his  soul  had  long 
ago  burdened  itself  in  a  former  existence,  within  another 
body,  and  which  had  deprived  it  of  absolution  in  the 
nether  world.  It  had  passed  through  various  animal 
forms,  and  now  began  a  new  human  course  in  the  body 
of  a  paraschites,  once  more  to  stand  after  death  in  the 
presence  of  the  judges  of  the  under-world. 

Pentaur  had  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  man  he 
despised  with  aversion  ;  the  man  himself,  sitting  at  the 
feet  of  the  suffering  girl,  had  exclaimed  as  he  saw  the 
priest  approaching  the  hovel : 

"  Yet  another  white  robe  !  Does  misfortune  cleanse 
the  unclean  ?" 

*  Diodorus  I,  91. 


UARDA.  73 

Pentaur  had  not  answered,  the  old  man,  who  on 
his  part  took  no  further  notice  of  him,  while  he  rubbed 
the  girl's  feet  by  order  of  the  leech;  and  his  hands  im- 
pelled by  tender  anxiety  untiringly  continued  the  same 
movement,  as  the  water-wheel  in  the  Nile  keeps  up 
without  intermission  its  steady  motion  in  the  stream. 

"  Does  misfortune  cleanse  the  unclean  ?"  Pentaur 
asked  himself.  "  Does  it  indeed  possess  a  purifying 
efficacy,  and  is  it  possible  that  the  Gods,  who  gave  to 
fire  the  power  of  refining  metals  and  to  the  winds 
power  to  sweep  the  clouds  from  the  sky,  should  desire 
that  a  man — made  in  their  own  image — that  a  man 
should  be  tainted  from  his  birth  to  his  death  with  an 
indelible  stain  ?" 

He  looked  at  the  face  of  the  paraschites,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  to  resemble  that  of  his  father. 

This  startled  him! 

And  when  he  noticed  how  the  woman,  in  whose 
lap  the  girl's  head  was  resting,  bent  over  the  injured 
bosom  of  the  child  to  catch  her  breathing,  which  she 
feared  had  come  to  a  stand-still — with  the  anguish  of 
a  dove  that  is  struck  down  by  a  hawk — he  remembered 
a  moment  in  his  own  childhood,  when  he  had  lain 
trembling  with  fever  on  his  little  bed.  What  then  had 
happened  to  him,  or  had  gone  on  around  him,  he  had 
long  forgotten,  but  one  image  was  deeply  imprinted 
on  his  soul,  that  of  the  face  of  his  mother  bending 
over  him  in  deadly  anguish,  but  who  had  gazed  on 
her  sick  boy  not  more  tenderly,  or  more  anxiously, 
than  this  despised  woman  on  her  suffering  child. 

"There  is  only  one  utterly  unselfish,  utterly  pure 
and  utterly  divine  love,"  said  he  to  himself,  "and  that 
is  the  love  of  Isis  for  Horus — the  love  of  a  mother  for 
6 


74  UARDA. 

her  child.  If  these  people  were  indeed  so  foul  as  to 
defile  every  thing  they  touch,  how  would  this  pure, 
this  tender,  holy  impulse  show  itself  even  in  them  in 
all  its  beauty  and  perfection  ?" 

"Still,"  he  continued,  "the  Celestials  have  im- 
planted maternal  love  in  the  breast  of  the  lioness,  of 
the  typhonic  river-horse  of  the  Nile." 

He  looked  compassionately  at  the  wife  of  the 
paraschites. 

He  saw  her  dark  face  -as  she  turned  it  away  from 
the  sick  girl.  She  had  felt  her  breathe,  and  a  smile 
of  happiness  lighted  up  her  old  features;  she  nodded 
first  to  the  surgeon,  and  then  with  a  deep  sigh  of 
relief  to  her  husband,  who,  while  he  did  not  cease  the 
movement  of  his  left  hand,  held  up  his  right  hand  in 
prayer  to  heaven,  and  his  wife  did  the  same. 

It  seemed  to  Pentaur  that  he  could  see  the  souls 
of  these  two,  floating  above  the  youthful  creature  in 
holy  union  as  they  joined  their  hands;  and  again  he 
thought  of  his  parents'  house,  of  the  hour  when  his 
sweet,  only  sister  died.  His  mother  had  thrown  her- 
self weeping  on  the  pale  form,  but  his  father  had 
stamped  his  foot  and  had  thrown  back  his  head, 
sobbing  and  striking  his  forehead  with  his  fist. 

"How  piously  submissive  and  thankful  are  these 
unclean  ones!"  thought  Pentaur;  and  repugnance  for 
the  old  laws  began  to  take  root  in  his  heart.  "  Maternal 
love  may  exist  in  the  hyaena,  but  to  seek  and  find  God 
pertains  only  to  man,  who  has  a  noble  aim.  Up  to  the 
limits  of  eternity — and  God  is  eternal! — thought  is 
denied  to  animals;  they  cannot  even  smile.  Even  men 
cannot  smile  at  first,  for  only  physical  life — an  animal 
soul — dwells  in  them;  but  soon  a  share  of  the  world's 


UARDA.  75 

soul — beaming  intelligence — works  within  them,  and 
first  shows  itself  in  the  smile  of  a  child,  which  is  as 
pure  as  the  light  and  the  truth  from  which  it  comes. 
The  child  of  the  paraschites  smiles  like  any  other 
creature  born  of  woman,  but  how  few  aged  men  there 
are,  even  among  the  initiated,  who  can  smile  as  in- 
nocently and  brightly  as  this  woman  who  has  grown 
grey  under  open  ill-treatment." 

Deep  sympathy  began  to  fill  his  heart,  and  he  knelt 
down  by  the  side  of  the  poor  child,  raised  her  arm, 
and  prayed  fervently  to  that  One  who  had  created 
the  heavens  and  who  rules  the  world — to  that  One, 
whom  the  mysteries  of  faith  forbade  him  to  name; 
and  not  to  the  innumerable  gods,  whom  the  people 
worshipped,  and  who  to  him  were  nothing  but  in- 
carnations of  the  attributes  of  the  One  and  only 
God  of  the  initiated — of  whom  he  was  one — who 
was  thus  brought  down  to  the  comprehension  of  the 
laity. 

He  raised  his  soul  to  God  in  passionate  emotion ; 
but  he  prayed,  not  for  the  child  before  him  and  for 
her  recovery,  but  rather  for  the  whole  despised  race,  and 
for  its  release  from  the  old  ban,  for  the  enlightenment 
of  his  own  soul,  imprisoned  in  doubts,  and  for  strength 
to  fulfil  his  hard  task  with  discretion. 

The  gaze  of  the  sufferer  followed  him  as  he  took  up 
his  former  position. 

The  prayer  had  refreshed  his  soul  and  restored  him 
to  cheerfulness  of  spirit.  He  began  to  reflect  what 
conduct  he  must  observe  towards  the  princess. 

He  had  not  met  Bent-Anat  for  the  first  time  yester- 
day ;  on  the  contrary,  he  had  frequently  seen  her  in 
holiday  processions,  and  at  the  high  festivals  in  the 


76  UARDA. 

Necropolis,  and  like  all  his  young  companions  had  ad- 
mired her  proud  beauty — admired  it  as  the  distant  light 
of  the  stars,  or  the  evening-glow  on  the  horizon. 

Now  he  must  approach  this  lady  with  words  of 
reproof. 

He  pictured  to  himself  the  moment  when  he  must 
advance  to  meet  her,  and  could  not  help  thinking  of 
his  little  tutor  Chufu,  above  whom  he  towered  by  two 
heads  while  he  was  still  a  boy,  and  who  used  to  call 
up  his  admonitions  to  him  from  below.  It  was  true, 
he  himself  was  tall  and  slim,  but  he  felt  as  if  to-day 
he  were  to  play  the  part  towards  Bent-Anat  of  the 
much-laughed-at  little  tutor. 

His  sense  of  the  comic  was  touched,  and  asserted 
itself  at  this  serious  moment,  and  with  such  melancholy 
surroundings.  Life  is  rich  in  contrasts,  and  a  suscep- 
tible and  highly-strung  human  soul  would  break  down 
like  a  bridge  under  the  measured  tread  of  soldiers,  if  it 
were  allowed  to  let  the  burden  of  the  heaviest  thoughts 
and  strongest  feelings  work  upon  it  in  undisturbed 
monotony;  but  just  as  in  music  every  key-note  has  its 
harmonies,  so  when  we  cause  one  chord  of  our  heart 
to  vibrate  for  long,  all  sorts  of  strange  notes  respond 
and  clang,  often  those  which  we  least  expect. 

Pentaur's  glance  flew  round  the  one  low,  over-filled 
room  of  the  paraschites'  hut,  and  like  a  lightning  flash 
the  thought,  "How  will  the  princess  and  her  train  find 
room  here?"  flew  through  his  mind. 

His  fancy  was  lively,  and  vividly  brought  before 
him  how  the  daughter  of  the  Pharaoh  with  a  crown 
on  her  proud  head  would  bustle  into  the  silent  chamber, 
how  the  chattering  courtiers  would  follow  her,  and  how 
the  women  by  the  walls,  the  physicians  by  the  side  of 


UARDA.  77 

the  sick  girl,  the  sleek  white  cat  from  the  chest 
where  she  sat,  would  rise  and  throng  round  her. 
There  must  be  frightful  confusion.  Then  he  imagined 
how  the  smart  lords  and  ladies  would  keep  them- 
selves far  from  the  unclean,  hold  their  slender  hands 
over  their  mouths  and  noses,  and  suggest  to  the 
old  folks  how  they  ought  to  behave  to  the  princess 
who  condescended  to  bless  them  with  her  presence. 
The  old  woman  must  lay  down  the  head  that  rested 
in  her  bosom,  the  paraschites  must  drop  the  feet  he  so 
anxiously  rubbed,  on  the  floor,  to  rise  and  kiss  the 
dust  before  Bent-Anat.  Whereupon — the  "mind's  eye" 
of  the  young  priest  seemed  to  see  it  all — the  courtiers 
fled  before  him,  pushing  each  other,  and  all  crowded 
together  into  a  corner,  and  at  last  the  princess  threw  a 
few  silver  or  gold  rings  into  the  laps  of  the  father  and 
mother,  and  perhaps  to  the  girl  too,  and  he  seemed  to 
hear  the  courtiers  all  cry  out:  "Hail  to  the  gracious 
daughter  of  the  Sun!" — to  hear  the  joyful  exclamations 
of  the  crowd  of  women — to  see  the  gorgeous  appari- 
tion leave  the  hut  of  the  despised  people,  and  then  to 
see,  instead  of  the  lovely  sick  child  who  still  breathed 
audibly,  a  silent  corpse  on  the  crumpled  mat,  and  in 
the  place  of  the  two  tender  nurses  at  her  head  and 
feet,  two  heart-broken,  loud-lamenting  wretches. 

Pentaur's  hot  spirit  was  full  of  wrath.  As  soon  as 
the  noisy  cortege  appeared  actually  in  sight  he  would 
place  himself  in  the  doorway,  forbid  the  princess  to 
enter,  and  receive  her  with  strong  words. 

She  could  hardly  come  hither  out  of  human  kind- 
ness. 

"She  wants  variety,"  said  he  to  himself,  "something 
new  at  Court;  for  there  is  little  going  on  there  now 


78  UARDA. 

the  king  tarries  with  the  troops  in  a  distant  country; 
it  tickles  the  vanity  of  the  great  to  find  themselves 
once  in  a  while  in  contact  with  the  small,  and  it  is 
well  to  have  your  goodness  of  heart  spoken  of  by  the 
people.  If  a  little  misfortune  opportunely  happens,  it 
is  not  worth  the  trouble  to  inquire  whether  the  form 
of  our  benevolence  does  more  good  or  mischief  to  such 
wretched  people." 

He  ground  his  teeth  angrily,  and  thought  no  more 
of  the  defilement  which  might  threaten  Bent-Anat  from 
the  paraschites,  but  exclusively,  on  the  contrary,  of  the 
impending  desecration  by  the  princess  of  the  holy  feel- 
ings astir  in  this  silent  room. 

Excited  as  he  was  to  fanaticism,  his  condemning 
lips  could  not  fail  to  find  vigorous  and  impressive 
words. 

He  stood  drawn  to  his  full  height  and  drawing  his 
breath  deeply,  like  a  spirit  of  light  who  holds  his 
weapon  raised  to  annihilate  a  demon  of  darkness,  and 
he  looked  out  into  the  valley  to  perceive  from  afar  the 
cry  of  the  runners  and  the  rattle  of  the  wheels  of  the 
gay  train  he  expected. 

And  he  saw  the  doorway  darkened  by  a  lowly, 
bending  figure,  who,  with  folded  arms,  glided  into  the 
room  and  sank  down  silently  by  the  side  of  the  sick 
girl.  The  physicians  and  the  old  people  moved  as  if 
to  rise;  but  she  signed  to  them  without  opening  her 
lips,  and  with  moist,  expressive  eyes,  to  keep  their 
places  ;  she  looked  long  and  lovingly  in  the  face  of  the 
wounded  girl,  stroked  her  white  arm,  and  turning  to 
the  old  woman  softly  whispered  to  her — 

"  How  pretty  she  is  !" 

The  paraschites'  wife  nodded   assent,  and  the  girl 


UARDA.  79 

smiled  and  moved  her  lips  as  though  she  had  caught 
the  words  and  wished  to  speak. 

Bent-Anat  took  a  rose  from  her  hair  and  laid  it  on 
her  bosom. 

The  paraschites,  who  had  not  taken  his  hands  from 
the  feet  of  the  sick  child,  but  who  had  followed  every 
movement  of  the  princess,  now  whispered,  "  May  Hathor 
requite  thee,  who  gave  thee  thy  beauty." 

The  princess  turned  to  him  and  said,  "  Forgive  the 
sorrow,  I  have  caused  you." 

The  old  man  stood  up,  letting  the  feet  of  the  sick 
girl  fall,  and  asked  in  a  clear  loud  voice — 

"Art  thou  Bent-Anat?" 

"Yes,  I  am,"  replied  the  princess,  bowing  her  head 
low,  and  in  so  gentle  a  voice,  that  it  seemed  as  though 
she  were  ashamed  of  her  proud  name. 

The  eyes  of  the  old  man  flashed.  Then  he  said 
softly  but  decisively — 

"  Leave  my  hut  then,  it  will  defile  thee." 

"  Not  till  you  have  forgiven  me  for  that  which  I  did 
unintentionally." 

"Unintentionally!  I  believe  thee,"  replied  the  para- 
schites. "The  hoofs  of  thy  horse  became  unclean  when 
they  trod  on  this  white  breast.  Look  here — "  and  he 
lifted  the  cloth  from  the  girl's  bosom,  and  showed  her 
the  deep  red  wound,  "  Look  here — here  is  the  first  rose 
you  laid  on  my  grandchild's  bosom,  and  the  second — 
there  it  goes." 

The  paraschites  raised  his  arm  to  fling  the  flower 
through  the  door  of  his  hut.  But  Pentaur  had  ap- 
proached him,  and  with  a  grasp  of  iron  held  the  old 
man's  hand. 

"Stay,"  he  cried  in  an  eager  tone,  moderated  how- 


8o  UARDA. 

ever  for  the  sake  of  the  sick  girl.  "  The  third  rose, 
which  this  noble  hand  has  offered  you,  your  sick  heart 
and  silly  head  have  not  even  perceived.  And  yet  you 
must  know  it  if  only  from  your  need,  your  longing  for 
it.  The  fair  blossom  of  pure  benevolence  is  laid  on 
your  child's  heart,  and  at  your  very  feet,  by  this  proud 
princess.  Not  with  gold,  but  with  humility.  And 
whoever  the  daughter  of  Rameses  approaches  as  her 
equal,  bows  before  her,  even  if  he  were  the  first  prince 
in  the  Land  of  Egypt.  Indeed,  the  Gods  shall  not 
forget  this  deed  of  Bent-Anat.  And  you — forgive,  if  you 
desire  to  be  forgiven  that  guilt,  which  you  bear  as  an 
inheritance  from  your  fathers,  and  for  your  own  sins." 

The  paraschites  bowed  his  head  at  these  words, 
and  when  he  raised  it  the  anger  had  vanished  from  his 
well-cut  features.  He  rubbed  his  wrist,  which  had  been 
squeezed  by  Pentaur's  iron  fingers,  and  said  in  a  tone 
which  betrayed  all  the  bitterness  of  his  feelings : 

"  Thy  hand  is  hard,  Priest,  and  thy  words  hit  like 
the  strokes  of  a  hammer.  This  fair  lady  is  good  and 
loving,  and  I  know  that  she  did  not  drive  her  horse  in- 
tentionally over  this  poor  girl,  who  is  my  grandchild  and 
not  my  daughter.  If  she  were  thy  wife  or  the  wife  of 
the  leech  there,  or  the  child  of  the  poor  woman  yonder, 
who  supports  life  by  collecting  the  feet  and  feathers  of 
the  fowls  that  are  slaughtered  for  sacrifice,  I  would  not 
only  forgive  her,  but  console  her  for  having  made  her- 
self like  to  me ;  fate  would  have  made  her  a  murderess 
without  any  fault  of  her  own,  just  as  it  stamped  me  as 
unclean  while  I  was  still  at  my  mother's  breast.  Aye 
— I  would  comfort  her;  and  yet  I  am  not  very  sensitive. 
Ye  holy  three  of  Thebes!*  how  should  I  be?  Great  and 

*  The  triad  of  Thebes:  Amon,  Muth  and  Chunsu. 


UARDA.  8 1 

small  get  out  of  my  way  that  I  may  not  touch  them, 
and  every  day  when  I  have  done  what  it  is  my  busi- 
ness to  do  they  throw  stones  at  me.*  The  fulfilment 
of  duty — which  brings  a  living  to  other  men,  which 
makes  their  happiness,  and  at  the  same  time  earns  them 
honor,  brings  me  every  day  fresh  disgrace  and  painful 
sores.  But  I  complain  to  no  man,  and  must  forgive — 
forgive — forgive,  till  at  last  all  that  men  do  to  me  seems 
quite  natural  and  unavoidable,  and  I  take  it  all  like  the 
scorching  of  the  sun  in  summer,  and  the  dust  that  the 
west  wind  blows  into  my  face.  It  does  not  make  me 
happy,  but  what  can  I  do  ?  I  forgive  all — " 

The  voice  of  the  paraschites  had  softened,  and  Bent- 
Anat,  who  looked  down  on  him  with  emotion,  inter- 
rupted him,  exclaiming  with  deep  feeling : 

"  And  so  you  will  forgive  me  ? — poor  man  !"    . 

The  old  man  looked  steadily,  not  at  her,  but  at 
Pentaur,  while  he  replied :  "  Poor  man  !  aye,  truly,  poor 
man.  You  have  driven  me  out  of  the  world  in  which 
you  live,  and  so  I  made  a  world  for  myself  in  this  hut. 
I  do  not  belong  to  you,  and  if  I  forget  it,  you  drive  me 
out  as  an  intruder — nay  as  a  wolf,  who  breaks  into  your 
fold;  but  you  belong  just  as  little  to  me,  only  when 
you  play  the  wolf  and  fall  upon  me,  I  must  bear  it !" 

"  The  princess  came  to  your  hut  as  a  suppliant,  and 
with  the  wish  of  doing  you  some  good,"  said  Pentaur. 

"  May  the  avenging  Gods  reckon  it  to  her,  when  they 
visit  on  her  the  crimes  of  her  father  against  me !  Perhaps 
it  may  bring  me  to  prison,  but  it  must  come  out.  Seven 
sons  were  mine,  and  Rameses  took  them  all  from  me 

*  The  paraschites,  with  an  Ethiopian  knife,  cuts  the  flesh  of  the  corpse  as 
deeply  as  the  law  requires;  but  instantly  takes  to  flight,  while  the  relatives  of 
the  deceased  pursue  him  with  stones  £nd  curses,  as  if  they  wished  to  throw  the 
blame  on  him. 


82  UARDA. 

and  sent  them  to  death ;  the  child  of  the  youngest,  this 
girl,  the  light  of  my  eyes,  his  daughter  has  brought  to 
her  death.  Three  of  my  boys  the  king  left  to  die  of 
thirst  by  the  Tenat,*  which  is  to  join  the  Nile  to  the  Red 
Sea,  three  were  killed  by  the  Ethiopians,  and  the  last, 
the  star  of  my  hopes,  by  this  time  is  eaten  by  the  hy- 
aenas of  the  north." 

At  these  words  the  old  woman,  in  whose  lap  the 
head  of  the  girl  rested,  broke  out  into  a  loud  cry,  in 
which  she  was  joined  by  all  the  other  women. 

The  sufferer  started  vip  frightened,  and  opened  her 
eyes. 

"  For  whom  are  you  wailing  ?"  she  asked  feebly. 

"  For  your  poor  father,"  said  the  old  woman. 

The  girl  smiled  like  a  child  who  detects  some  well- 
meant  deceit,  and  said : 

""Was  not  my  father  here,  with  you  ?  He  is  here, 
in  Thebes,  and  looked  at  me,  and  kissed  me,  and  said 
that  he  is  bringing  home  plunder,  and  that  a  good  time 
is  coming -for  you.  The  gold  ring  that  he  gave  me  I 
was  fastening  into  my  dress,  when  the  chariot  passed 
over  me.  I  was  just  pulling  the  knots,  when  all  grew 
black  before  my  eyes,  and  I  saw  and  heard  nothing 
more.  Undo  it,  grandmother,  the  ring  is  for  you ;  I 
meant  to  bring  it  to  you.  You  must  buy  a  beast  for 
sacrifice  with  it,  and  wine  for  grandfather,  and  eye- 
salve  **  for  yourself,  and  sticks  of  mastic,***  which 
you  have  so  long  had  to  do  without." 

*  Literally  the  '  cutting"  which,  under  Set!  I.,  the  father  of  Rnmeses, 
was  the  first  "  Suez  Canal ;'  a  representation  of  it  is  found  on  the  northern  outer 
wall  of  the  temple  of  Karnak.  It  followed  nearly  the  same  direction  as  the  Fresh- 
water canal  of  Lesseps,  and  fertilized  the  land  of  Goshen. 

"*  The  Egyptian  mestem,  that  is  stibium  or  antimony,  which  was  intro- 
duced into  Egypt  by  the  Asiatics  at  a  very  early  period  and  universally  used. 

*'*  At  the  present  day  the  Egyptian  women  are  fond  of  chewing  them,  on 
ac.-ount  of  their  pleasant  taste.  The  ancient  Egyptians  used  various  pills.  Re- 
ceipts for  such  things  are  found  in  the  Ebers  Papyrus. 


UARDA.  83 

The  paraschites  seemed  to  drink  these  words  from 
the  mouth  of  his  grandchild.  Again  he  lifted  his  hand 
in  prayer,  again  Pentaur  observed  that  his  glance  met 
that  of  his  wife,  and  a  large,  warm  tear  fell  from  his 
old  eyes  on  to  his  callous  hand.  Then  he  sank  down, 
for  he  thought  the  sick  child  was  deluded  by  a  dream. 
But  there  were  the  knots  in  her  dress. 

With  a  trembling  hand  he  untied  them,  and  a  gold 
ring  rolled  out  on  the  floor. 

Bent-Anat  picked  it  up,  and  gave  it  to  the  paraschites. 

"  I  came  here  in  a  lucky  hour,"  she  said,  "  for  you 
have  recovered  your  son  and  your  child  will  live." 

"  She  will  live,"  repeated  the  surgeon,  who  had  re- 
mained a  silent  witness  of  all  that  had  occurred. 

"  She  will  stay  with  us,"  murmured  the  old  man,  and 
then  said,  as  he  approached  the  princess  on  his  knees, 
and  looked  up  at  her  beseechingly  with  tearful  eyes: 

"  Pardon  me  as  I  pardon  thee ;  and  if  a  pious  wish 
may  not  turn  to  a  curse  from  the  lips  of  the  unclean, 
let  me  bless  thee." 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Bent-Anat,  towards  whom  the 
old  man  raised  his  hand  in  blessing. 

Then  she  turned  to  Nebsecht,  and  ordered  him  to 
take  anxious  care  of  the  sick  girl;  she  bent  over  her, 
kissed  her  forehead,  laid  her  gold  bracelet  by  her  side, 
and  signing  to  Pentaur  left  the  hut  with  him. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

DURING  the  occurrence  we  have  described,  the 
king's  pioneer  and  the  young  wife  of  Mena  were 
obliged  to  wait  for  the  princess. 


84  UARDA. 

The  sun  stood  in  the  meridian,  when  Bent-Anat 
had  gone  into  the  hovel  of  the  paraschites. 

The  bare  limestone  rocks  on  each  side  of  the  valley 
and  the  sandy  soil  between,  shone  with  a  vivid  white- 
ness that  hurt  the  eyes;  not  a  hand's  breadth  of  shade 
was  anywhere  to  be  seen,  and  the  fan-bearers  of  the 
two,  who  were  waiting  there,  had,  by  command  of  the 
princess,  staid  behind  with  the  chariot  and  litters. 

For  a  time  they  stood  silently  near  each  other,  then 
the  fair  Nefert  said,  wearily  closing  her  almond-shaped 
eyes : 

"  How  long  Bent-Anat  stays  in  the  hut  of  the  un- 
clean !  I  am  perishing  here.  What  shall  we  do  ?" 

"  Stay  !"  said  Paaker,  turning  his  back  on  the  lady  ; 
and  mounting  a  block  of  stone  by  the  side  of  the  gorge, 
he  cast  a  practised  glance  all  round,  and  returned  to 
Nefert:  "I  have  found  a  shady  spot,"  he  said,  "out  there." 

Mena's  wife  followed  with  her  eyes  the  indication  of 
his  hand,  and  shook  her  head.  The  gold  ornaments  on 
her  head-dress  rattled  gently  as  she  did  so,  and  a  cold 
shiver  passed  over  her  slim  body  in  spite  of  the  mid- 
day heat. 

"  Sechet*  is  raging  in  the  sky,"  said  Paaker.  "  Let 
us  avail  ourselves  of  the  shady  spot,  small  though  it  be. 
At  this  hour  of  the  day  many  are  struck  with  sickness." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Nefert,  covering  her  neck  with 
her  hand.  Then  she  went  towards  two  blocks  of  stone 
which  leaned  against  each  other,  and  between  them 

*  A  goddess  with  the  head  of  a  lioness  or  a  cat,  over  which  the  Sun-disk  is 
usually  found.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Ka,  and  in  the  form  of  the  Urseus  on 
her  father's  crown  personified  the  murderous  heat  of  the  star  of  clay.  She  incites 
man  to  the  hot  and  wild  pission  of  love,  and  as  a  cat  or  lioness  tears  burning 
wounds  in  the  limbs  of  the  guilty  in  the  nether  world  ;  drunkenness  and  pleasure 
are  her  gifts  She  was  also  named  Bast  ~nd  Astarte  after  her  sister-divinity 
among  the  Phoenicians. 


UARDA.  85 

afforded  the  spot  of  shade,  not  many  feet  wide,  which 
Paaker  had  pointed  out  as  a  shelter  from  the  sun. 

Paaker  preceded  her,  and  rolled  a  flat  piece  of 
limestone,  inlaid  by  nature  with  nodules  of  flint,  under 
the  stone  pavilion,  crushed  a  few  scorpions  which  had 
taken  refuge  there,  spread  his  head-cloth  over  the 
hard  seat,  and  said,  "  Here  you  are  sheltered." 

Nefert  sank  down  on  the  stone  and  watched  the 
Mohar,  who  slowly  and  silently  paced  backwards  and 
forward  in  front  of  her.  This  incessant  to  and  fro  of 
her  companion  at  last  became  unendurable  to  her 
sensitive  and  irritated  nerves,  and  suddenly  raising  her 
head  from  her  hand,  on  which  she  had  rested  it,  she 
exclaimed — 

"  Pray  stand  still." 

The  pioneer  obeyed  instantly,  and  looked,  as  he 
stood  with  his  back  to  her,  towards  the  hovel  of  the 
paraschites. 

After  a  short  time  Nefert  said — 

"Say  something  to  me!" 

The  Mohar  turned  his  full  face  towards  her,  and 
she  was  frightened  at  the  wild  fire  that  glowed  in  the 
glance  with  which  he  gazed  at  her. 

Nefert's  eyes  fell,  and  Paaker,  saying: 

"  I  would  rather  remain  silent,"  recommenced  his 
walk,  till  Nefert  called  to  him  again  and  said, — 

"I  know  you  are  angry  with  me;  but  I  was  but  a 
child  when  I  was  betrothed  to  you.  I  liked  you  too, 
and  when  in  our  games  your  mother  called  me  your 
little  wife,  I  was  really  glad,  and  used  to  think  how 
fine  it  would  be  when  I  might  call  all  your  possessions 
mine,  the  house  you  would  have  so  splendidly  restored 
for  me  after  your  father's  death,  the  noble  gardens,  the 


86  UARDA. 

fine  horses  in  their  stables,  and  all  the  male  and 
female  slaves!" 

Paaker  laughed,  but  the  laugh  sounded  so  forced 
and  scornful  that  it  cut  Nefert  to  the  heart,  and  she 
went  on,  as  if  begging  for  indulgence: 

"It  was  said  that  you  were  angry  with  us;  and 
now  you  will  take  my  words  as  if  I  had  cared  only 
for  your  wealth;  but  I  said,  I  liked  you.  Do  you  no 
longer  remember  how  I  cried  with  you  over  your  tales 
of  the  bad  boys  in  the  school,  and  over  your  father's 
severity?  Then  my  uncle  died; — then  you  went  to 
Asia." 

"And  you,"  interrupted  Paaker,  hardly  and  drily, 
"you  broke  your  bethrothal  vows,  and  became  the  wife 
of  the  charioteer  Mena.  I  know  it  all;  of  what  use 
is  talking?" 

"  Because  it  grieves  me  that  you  should  be  angry, 
and  your  good  mother  avoid  our  house.  If  only  you 
could  know  what  it  is  when  love  seizes  one,  and  one 
can  no  longer  even  think  alone,  but  only  near,  and 
with,  and  in  the  very  arms  of  another;  when  one's 
beating  heart  throbs  in  one's  very  temples,  and  even 
in  one's  dreams  one  sees  nothing — but  one  only." 

"And  do  I  not  know  it?"  cried  Paaker,  placing 
himself  close  before  her  with  his  arms  crossed.  "  Do 
I  not  know  it?  and  you  it  was  who  taught  me  to 
know  it.  When  I  thought  of  you,  not  blood,  but 
burning  fire,  coursed  in  my  veins,  and  now  you  have 
filled  them  with  poison;  and  here  in  this  breast,  in 
which  your  image  dwelt,  as  lovely  as  that  of  Hathor 
in  her  holy  of  holies,  all  is  like  that  sea  in  Syria  which 
is  called  the  Dead  Sea,  in  which  every  thing  that  tries 
to  live  presently  dies  and  perishes." 


UARDA.  87 

Paaker's  eyes  rolled  as  he  spoke,  and  his  voice 
sounded  hoarsely  as  he  went  on. 

"  But  Mena  was  near  to  the  king — nearer  than  I, 
and  your  mother — " 

"  My  mother!" — Nefert  interrupted  the  angry  Mohar. 
"  My  mother  did  not  choose  my  husband.  I  saw  him 
driving  the  chariot,  and  to  me  he  resembled  the  Sun 
God,  and  he  observed  me,  and  looked  at  me,  and  his 
glance  pierced  deep  into  my  heart  like  a  spear;  and 
when,  at  the  festival  of  the  king's  birthday,  he  spoke 
to  me,  it  was  just  as  if  Hathor  had  thrown  round  me 
a  web  of  sweet,  sounding  sunbeams.  And  it  was  the 
same  with  Mena;  he  himself  has  told  me  so  since  I 
have  been  his  wife.  For  your  sake  my  mother  rejected 
his  suit,  but  I  grew  pale  and  dull  with  longing  for  him, 
and  he  lost  his  bright  spirit,  and  was  so  melancholy 
that  the  king  remarked  it,  and  asked  what  weighed  on 
his  heart — for  Rameses  loves  him  as  his  own  son.  Then 
Mena  confessed  to  the  Pharaoh  that  it  was  love  that 
dimmed  his  eye  and  weakened  his  strong  hand;  and 
then  the  king  himself  courted  me  for  his  faithful 
servant,  and  my  mother  gave  way,  and  we  were  made 
man  and  wife,  and  all  the  joys  of  the  justified  in  the 
fields  of  Aalu*  are  shallow  and  feeble  by  the  side  of 
the  bliss  which  we  two  have  known — not  like  mortal 
men,  but  like  the  celestial  gods." 

Up  to  this  point  Nefert  had  fixed  her  large  eyes 
on  the  sky,  like  a  glorified  soul;  but  now  her  gaze 
fell,  and  she  said  softly — 


*  The  fields  of  the  blest,  which  were  opened  to  glorified  souls.  In  the 
Book  of  the  Dead  it  is  shown  that  in  them  men  linger,  and  sow  and  reap  by 
cool  waters. 


88  UARDA. 

"But  the  Cheta*  disturbed  our  happiness,  for  the 
king  took  Mena  with  him  to  the  war.  Fifteen  times 
did  the  moon  rise  upon  our  happiness,  and  then — " 

"And  then  the  Gods  heard  my  prayer,  and  accepted 
my  offerings,"  said  Paaker,  with  a  trembling  voice, 
"and  tore  the  robber  of  my  joys  from  you,  and 
scorched  your  heart  and  his  with  desire.  Do  you 
think  you  can  tell  me  anything  I  do  not  know?  Once 
again  for  fifteen  days  was  Mena  yours,  and  now  he 
has  not  returned  again  from  the  war  which  is  raging 
hotly  in  Asia." 

"But  he  will  return,"  cried  the  young  wife. 

"Or  possibly  not,"  laughed  Paaker.  "The  Cheta, 
carry  sharp  weapons,  and  there  are  many  vultures  in 
Lebanon,  who  perhaps  at  this  hour  are  tearing  his 
flesh  as  he  tore  my  heart." 

Nefert  rose  at  these  words,  her  sensitive  spirit 
bruised  as  with  stones  thrown  by  a  brutal  hand,  and 
attempted  to  leave  her  shady  refuge  to  follow  the 
princess  into  the  house  of  the  paraschites;  but  her  feet 
refused  to  bear  her,  and  she  sank  back  trembling  on 
her  stone  seat.  She  tried  to  find  words,  but  her  tongue 
was  powerless.  Her  powers  of  resistance  forsook  her 
in  her  unutterable  and  soul-felt  distress — heart-wrung, 
forsaken  and  provoked. 

A  variety  of  painful  sensations  raised  a  hot  vehe- 
ment storm  in  her  bosom,  which  checked  her  breath, 
and  at  last  found  relief  in  a  passionate  and  convulsive 
weeping  that  shook  her  whole  body.  She  saw  nothing 
more,  she  heard  nothing  more,  she  only  shed  tears  and 
felt  herself  miserable. 

*  An   Aramaean  race,  according  to  Schrader's  excellent  judgment.     At  the 
rime  of  our  story  the  peoples  of  western  Asia  had  allied  themselves  to  them. 


UARDA.  89 

Paaker  stood  over  her  in  silence. 

There  are  trees  in  the  tropics,  on  which  white 
blossoms  hang  close  by  the  withered  fruit,  there  are 
days  when  the  pale  moon  shows  itself  near  the  clear 
bright  sun; — and  it  is  given  to  the  soul  of  man  to  feel 
love  and  hatred,  both  at  the  same  time,  and  to  direct 
both  to  the  same  end. 

Nefert's  tears  fell  as  dew,  her  sobs  as  manna  on 
the  soul  of  Paaker,  which  hungered  and  thirsted  for 
revenge.  Her  pain  was  joy  to  him,  and  yet  the  sight 
of  her  beauty  filled  him  with  passion,  his  gaze  lingered 
spell-bound  on  her  graceful  form ;  he  would  have  given 
all  the  bliss  of  heaven  once,  only  once,  to  hold  her  in 
his  arms — once,  only  once,  to  hear  a  word  of  love  from 
her  lips. 

After  some  minutes  Nefert's  tears  grew  less  violent. 
With  a  weary,  almost  indifferent  gaze  she  looked  at 
the  Mohar,  still  standing  before  her,  and  said  in  a  soft 
tone  of  entreaty: 

•'My  tongue  is  parched,  fetch  me  a  little  water." 

"The  princess  may  come  out  at  any  moment,"  re- 
plied Paaker. 

"  But  I  am  fainting,"  said  Nefert,  and  began  again 
to  cry  gently. 

Paaker  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  went  farther 
into  the  valley,  which  he  knew  as  well  as  his  father's 
house;  for  in  it  was  the  tomb  of  his  mother's  ancestors, 
in  which,  as  a  boy,  he  had  put  up  prayers  at  every  full 
and  new  moon,  and  laid  gifts  on  the  altar. 

The  hut  of  the  paraschites  was  prohibited  to  him, 
but  he  knew  that  scarcely  a  hundred  paces  from   the 
spot  where  Nefert  was  sitting,  lived  an  old  woman  of 
7 


g6  UARDA. 

evil  repute,  in  whose  hole  in  the  rock  he  could  not 
fail  to  find  a  drink  of  water. 

He  hastened  forward,  half  intoxicated  with  all  he 
had  seen  and  felt  within  the  last  few  minutes. 

The  door,  which  at  night  closed  the  cave  against 
the  intrusions  of  the  plunder-seeking  jackals,  was  wide 
open,  and  the  old  woman  sat  outside  under  a  ragged 
piece  of  brown  sail-cloth,  fastened  at  one  end  to  the 
rock  and  at  the  other  to  two  posts  of  rough  wood. 
She  was  sorting  a  heap  of  dark  and  light-colored 
roots,  which  lay  in  her  lap.  Near  her  was  a  wheel, 
which  turned  in  a  high  wooden  fork.  A  wryneck 
made  fast  to  it  by  a  little  chain,  and  by  springing  from 
spoke  to  spoke  kept  it  in  continual  motion.*  A  large 
black  cat  crouched  beside  her,  and  smelt  at  some 
ravens'  and  owls'  heads,  from  which  the  eyes  had  not 
long  since  been  extracted. 

Two  sparrow-hawks  sat  huddled  up  over  the  door 
of  the  cave,  out  of  which  came  the  sharp  odor  of 
burning  juniper-berries;  this  was  intended  to  render 
the  various  emanations  rising  from  the  different  strange 
substances,  which  were  collected  and  preserved  there, 
innocuous. 

As  Paaker  approached  the  cavern  the  old  woman 
called  out  to  some  one  within  : 

"  Is  the  wax  cooking  ?" 

An  unintelligible  murmur  was  heard  in  answer. 

"  Then  throw  in  the  ape's  eyes,**  and  the  ibis- 
feathers,  and  the  scraps  of  linen  with  the  black  signs 
on  them.  Stir  it  all  a  little ;  now  put  out  the  fire. 

*  From  Theocritus'  idyl :  The  Sorceress. 

**  The  sentences  and  mediums  employed  by  the  witches,  according  to 
papyrus-rolls  which  remain.  1  have  availed  myself  of  the  Magic  papyrus  of 
Harris,  and  of  two  in  the  Berlin  collection,  one  of  which  is  in  Greek. 


UARDA.  QI 

Take  the  jug  and  fetch  some  water — make  haste,  here 
comes  a  stranger." 

A  sooty-black  negro  woman,  with  a  piece  of  torn 
colorless  stuff  hanging  round  her  hips,  set  a  large 
clay-jar  on  her  grey  woolly  matted  hair,  and  without 
looking  at  him,  went  past  Paaker,  who  was  now  close 
to  the  cave. 

The  old  woman,  a  tall  figure  bent  with  years,  with 
a  sharply-cut  and  wrinkled  face,  that  might  once  have 
been  handsome,  made  her  preparations  for  receiving 
the  visitor  by  tying  a  gaudy  kerchief  over  her  head, 
fastening  her  blue  cotton  garment  round  her  throat, 
and  flinging  a  fibre  mat  over  the  birds'  heads. 

Paaker  called  out  to  her,  but  she  feigned  to  be 
deaf  and  not  to  hear  his  voice.  Only  when  he  stood 
quite  close  to  her,  did  she  raise  her  shrewd,  twinkling 
eyes,  and  cry  out : 

"  A  lucky  day !  a  white  day  that  brings  a  noble 
guest  and  high  honor." 

"  Get  up,"  commanded  Paaker,  not  giving  her  any 
greeting,  but  throwing  a  silver  ring  *  among  the  roots 
that  lay  in  her  lap,  "  and  give  me  in  exchange  for  good 
money  some  water  in  a  clean  vessel." 

"  Fine  pure  silver,"  said  the  old  woman,  while  she 
held  the  ring,  which  she  had  quickly  picked  out  from 
the  roots,  close  to  her  eyes ;  "  it  is  too  much  for  mere 
water,  and  too  little  for  my  good  liquors." 

"  Don't  chatter,  hussy,  but  make  haste,"  cried 
Paaker,  taking  another  ring  from  his  money-bag  and 
throwing  it  into  her  lap. 

"  Thou  hast  an  open  hand,"  said  the  old  woman, 

*  The  Kgyptians  had  no  coins  before  Alexander  and  the  Ptolemies,  but 
used  metals  for  exchange,  usually  in  the  form  of  rings. 


92  UARDA. 

speaking  in  the  dialect  of  the  upper  classes;  "many 
doors  must  be  open  to  thee,  for  money  is  a  pass-key 
that  turns  any  lock.  Would'st  thou  have  water  for 
thy  good  money?  Shall  it  protect  thee  against  noxious 
beasts  ? — shall  it  help  thee  to  reach  down  a  star  ?  Shall 
it  guide  thee  to  secret  paths? — It  is  thy  duty  to  lead 
the  way.  Shall  it  make  heat  cold,  or  cold  warm? 
Shall  it  give  thee  the  power  of  reading  hearts,  or  shall 
it  beget  beautiful  dreams?  Wilt  thou  drink  of  the 
water  of  knowledge  and  see  whether  thy  friend  or 
thine  enemy — ha!  if  thine  enemy  shall  die?  Would'st 
thou  a  drink  to  strengthen  thy  memory?  Shall  the  water 
make  thee  invisible?  or  remove  the  sixth  toe  from  thy 
left  foot?" 

"You  know  me?"  asked  Paaker. 

"How  should  I?"  said  the  old  woman,  "but  my 
eyes  are  sharp,  and  I  can  prepare  good  waters  for  great 
and  small." 

"Mere  babble!"  exclaimed  Paaker,  impatiently 
clutching  at  the  whip  in  his  girdle;  "make  haste,  for 
the  lady  for  whom — " 

"  Dost  thou  want  the  water  for  a  lady  ?"  interrupted 
the  old  woman.  "  Who  would  have  thought  it  ? — old  men 
certainly  ask  for  my  philters  much  oftener  than  young 
ones, — but  I  can  serve  thee." 

With  these  words  the  old  woman  went  into  the 
cave,  and  soon  returned  with  a  thin  cylindrical  flask 
of  alabaster  in  her  hand. 

"This  is  the  drink,"  she  said,  giving  the  phial  to 
Paaker.  "  Pour  half  into  water,  and  offer  it  to  the  lady. 
If  it  does  not  succeed  at  first,  it  is  certain  the  second 
time.  A  child  may,  drink  the  water  and  it  will  not 
hurt  him,  or  if  an  old  man  takes  it,  it  makes  him 


UARDA.  93 

gay.  Ah,  I  know  the  taste  of  it!"  and  she  moistened 
her  lips  with  the  white  fluid.  "  It  can  hurt  no  one,  but 
I  will  take  no  more  of  it,  or  old  Hekt  will  be  tormented 
with  love  and  longing  for  thee;  and  that  would  ill 
please  the  rich  young  lord,  ha!  ha!  If  the  drink  is  in 
vain  I  am  paid  enough,  if  it  takes  effect  thou  shalt 
bring  me  three  more  gold  rings;  and  thou  wilt  return, 
I  know  it  well." 

Paaker  had  listened  motionless  to  the  old  woman, 
and  siezed  the  flask  eagerly,  as  if  bidding  defiance  to 
some  adversary;  he  put  it  in  his  money  bag,  threw  a 
few  more  rings  at  the  feet  of  the  witch,  and  once  more 
hastily  demanded  a  bowl  of  Nile-water. 

"  Is  my  lord  in  such  a  hurry  ? "  muttered  the  old 
woman,  once  more  going  into  the  cave.  "  He  asks  if  I 
know  him?  him  certainly  I  do?  but  the  darling?  who 
can  it  be  hereabouts?  perhaps  little  Uarda  at  the 
paraschites  yonder.  She  is  pretty  enough;  but  she  is 
lying  on  a  mat,  run  over  and  dying.  We  must  see 
what  my  lord  means,  He  would  have  pleased  me  well 
enough,  if  I  were  young;  but  he  will  reach  the  goal, 
for  he  is  resolute  and  spares  no  one." 

While  she  muttered  these  and  similar  words,  she 
filled  a  graceful  cup  of  glazed  earthenware  with  filtered 
Nile-water,  which  she  poured  out  of  a  large  porous 
clay  jar,  and  laid  a  laurel  leaf,  on  which  was  scratched 
two  hearts  linked  together  by  seven  strokes,  on  the 
surface  of  the  limpid  fluid.  Then  she  stepped  out 
into  the  air  again. 

As  Paaker  took  the  vessel  from  her  hand,  and 
looked  at  the  laurel  leaf,  she  said: 

"This  indeed   binds  hearts;  three  is  the   husband, 


94  UARDA. 

four  is  the  wife,  seven  is  the  indivisible.  Chaach, 
chachach,  charcharachacha."* 

The  old  woman  sang  this  spell  not  without  skill; 
but  the  Mohar  appeared  not  to  listen  to  her  jargon. 
He  descended  carefully  into  the  valley,  and  directed 
his  steps  to  the  resting  place  of  the  wife  of  Mena. 

By  the  side  of  a  rock,  which  hid  him  from  Nefert, 
he  paused,  set  the  cup  on  a  flat  block  of  stone,  and 
drew  the  flask  with  the  philter  out  of  his  girdle. 

His  fingers  trembled,  but  a  thousand  voices  within 
seemed  to  surge  up  and  cry — 

"Take  it! — do  it! — put  in  the  drink! — now  or  never." 

He  felt  like  a  solitary  traveller,  who  finds  on  his 
road  the  last  will  of  a  relation  whose  possessions  he 
had  hoped  for,  but  which  disinherits  him.  Shall  he 
surrender  it  to  the  judge,  or  shall  he  destroy  it. 

Paaker  was  not  merely  outwardly  devout;  hitherto 
he  had  in  everything  intended  to  act  according  to  the 
prescriptions  of  the  religion  of  his  fathers.  Adultery 
was  a  heavy  sin; — but  had  not  he  an  older  right  to 
Nefert  than  the  king's  charioteer? 

He  who  followed  the  black  arts  of  magic,  should, 
according  to  the  law,  be  punished  by  death,**  and  the 
old  woman  had  a  bad  name  for  her  evil  arts;  but  he 
had  not  sought  her  for  the  sake  of  the  philter.  Was 
it  not  possible  that  the  Manes  of  his  forefathers,  that 
the  Gods  themselves,  moved  by  his  prayers  and  offer- 
ings, had  put  him  in  possession  by  an  accident — which 
was  almost  a  miracle — of  the  magic  potion  whose 
efficacy  he  never  for  an  instant  doubted? 

*  This  jargon  is  found  m  a  magic-papyrus  at  Berlin. 

'•'•"*  1'Yom  the  papyri  Lee  and  Rollin.  See  also  Birch  Snr  un  papyrus  ma. 
pqnf.  Revue  archeologique,  1863.  Chabas,  Harris  magic-papyrus.  Deveria 
PaPyr)  judiciaire  de  Turin. 


95 

Paaker's  associates  held  him  to  be  a  man  of  quick 
decision,  and,  in  fact,  in  difficult  cases  he  could  act 
with  unusual  rapidity,  but  what  guided  him  in  these 
cases,  was  not  the  swift-winged  judgment  of  a  prepared 
and  well-schooled  brain,  but  usually  only  resulted  from 
the  outcome  of  a  play  of  question  and  answer. 

Amulets  of  the  most  various  kinds  hung  round  his 
neck,  and  from  his  girdle,  all  consecrated  by  priests, 
and  of  special  sanctity  or  the  highest  efficacy. 

There  was  the  lapis  lazuli  eye,  which  hung  to  his 
girdle  by  a  gold  chain;  when  he  threw  it  on  the 
ground,  so  as  to  lie  on  the  earth,  if  its  engraved  side 
turned  to  heaven,  and  its  smooth  side  lay  on  the 
ground,  he  said  "yes;"  in  the  other  case,  on  the  con- 
trary, "no."  In  his  purse  lay  always  a  statuette  of 
the  god  Apheru,*  who  opened  roads;  this  he  threw 
down  at  cross-roads,  and  followed  the  direction  which 
the  pointed  snout  of  the  image  indicated.  He  fre- 
quently called  into  council  the  seal-ring  of  his  deceased 
father,  an  old  family  possession,  which  the  chief 
priests  of  Abydos  had  laid  upon  the  holiest  of  the 
fourteen  graves  of  Osiris,  and  endowed  with  miraculous 
power.**  It  consisted  of  a  gold  ring  with  a  broad  signet, 
on  which  could  be  read  the  name  of  Thotmes  III.,  who 
had  long  since  been  deified,  and  from  whom  Paaker's 
ancestors  had  derived  it.  If  it  were  desirable  to 
consult  the  ring,  the  Mohar  touched  with  the  point  of 
his  bronze  dagger  the  engraved  sign  of  the  name, 

*  A  particular  form  of  Anubis — as  was  the  jackal-headed  local  divinity  of 
Lykopolis,  the  modern  Sint. 

'*  Typhon  cut  the  body  of  Osiris  into  fourteen  pieces,  and  then  strewed 
them  in  Egypt.  When  Isis  found  one  of  them  she  erected  a  monument  to  her 
husband.  In  later  times  none  of  these  was  reckoned  more  holy  than  that  of 
Abydos,  whither  also  Egyptians  of  rank  had  their  mummies  conveyed  to  rest 
in  the  vicinity  of  Osiris. 


96  UARDA. 

below  which  were  represented  three  objects  sacred  to 
the  Gods,  and  three  that  were,  on  the  contrary,  pro- 
fane. If  he  hit  one  of  the  former,  he  concluded  that 
his  father — who  was  gone  to  Osiris — concurred  in  his 
design;  in  the  contrary  case  he  was  careful  to  postpone 
it.  Often  he  pressed  the  ring  to  his  heart,  and  awaited 
the  first  living  creature  that  he  might  meet,  regarding 
it  as  a  messenger  from  his  father; — if  it  came  to  him 
from  the  right  hand  as  an  encouragement,  if  from  the 
left  as  a  warning. 

By  degrees  he  had  reduced  these  questionings  to 
a  system.  All  that  he  found  in  nature  he  referred  to 
himself  and  the  current  of  his  life.  It  was  at  once 
touching,  and  pitiful,  to  see  how  closely  he  lived  with 
the  Manes  of  his  dead.  His  lively,  but  not  exalted 
fancy,  wherever  he  gave  it  play,  presented  to  the  eye 
of  his  soul  the  image  of  his  father  and  of  an  elder 
brother  who  had  died  early,  always  in  the  same  spot, 
and  almost  tangibly  distinct. 

But  he  never  conjured  up  the  remembrance  of  the 
beloved  dead  in  order  to  think  of  them  in  silent 
melancholy — that  sweet  blossom  of  the  thorny  wreath 
of  sorrow;  only  for  selfish  ends.  The  appeal  to  the 
Manes  of  his  father  he  had  found  especially  efficacious 
in  certain  desires  and  difficulties;  calling  on  the  Manes 
of  his  brother  was  potent  in  certain  others;  and  so  he 
turned  from  one  to  the  other  with  the  precision  of  a 
carpenter,  who  rarely  doubts  whether  he  should  give 
the  preference  to  a  hatchet  or  a  saw. 

These  doings  he  held  to  be  well  pleasing  to  the 
Gods,  and  as  he  was  convinced  that  the  spirits  of  his 
dead  had,  after  their  justification,  passed  into  Osiris — 
that  is  to  say,  as  atoms  forming  part  of  the  great 


UARDA.  97 

world-soul,  at  this  time  had  a  share  in  the  direction 
of  the  universe — he  sacrificed  to  them  not  only  in  the 
family  catacomb,  but  also  in  the  temples  of  the  Necro- 
polis dedicated  to  the  worship  of  ancestors,  and  with 
special  preference  in  the  House  of  Seti. 

He  accepted  advice,  nay  even  blame,  from  Ameni 
and  the  other  priests  under  his  direction;  and  so  lived 
full  of  a  virtuous  pride  in  being  one  of  the  most 
zealous  devotees  in  the  land,  and  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  to  the  Gods,  a  belief  on  which  his  pastors 
never  threw  any  doubt. 

Attended  and  guided  at  every  step  by  supernatural 
powers,  he  wanted  no  friend  and  no  confidant.  In 
the  field,  as  in  Thebes,  he  stood  apart,  and  passed 
among  his  comrades  for  a  reserved  man,  rough  and 
proud,  but  with  a  strong  will. 

He  had  the  power  of  calling  up  the  image  of  his 
lost  love  with  as  much  vividness  as  the  forms  of  the 
dead,  and  indulged  in  this  magic,  not  only  through  a 
hundred  still  nights,  but  in  long  rides  and  drives 
through  silent  wastes. 

Such  visions  were  commonly  followed  by  a  vehe- 
ment and  boiling  overflow  of  his  hatred  against  the 
charioteer,  and  a  whole  series  of  fervent  prayers  for 
his  destruction. 

When  Paaker  set  the  cup  of  water  for  Nefert  on 
the  flat  stone  and  felt  for  the  philter,  his  soul  was  so 
full  of  desire  that  there  was  no  room  for  hatred;  still 
he  could  not  altogether  exclude  the  idea  that  he 
would  commit  a  great  crime  by  making  use  of  a 
magic  drink.  Before  pouring  the  fateful  drops  into 
the  water,  he  would  consult  the  oracle  of  the  ring. 
The  dagger  touched  none  of  the  holy  symbols  of  the 


98  UARDA. 

inscription  on  the  signet,  and  in  other  circumstances 
he  would,  without  going  any  farther,  have  given  up  his 
project. 

But  this  time  he  unwillingly  returned  it  to  its 
sheath,  pressed  the  gold  ring  to  his  heart,  muttered  the 
name  of  his  brother  in  Osiris,  and  awaited  the  first 
living  creature  that  might  come  towards  him. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait;  from  the  mountain  slope 
opposite  to  him  rose,  with  heavy,  slow  wing-strokes, 
two  light-colored  vultures. 

In  anxious  suspense  he  followed  their  flight,  as 
they  rose,  higher  and  higher.  For  a  moment  they 
poised  motionless,  borne  up  by  the  air,  circled  round 
each  other,  then  Avheeled  to  the  left  and  vanished  be- 
hind the  mountains,  denying  him  the  fulfilment  of  his 
desire. 

He  hastily  grasped  the  phial  to  fling  it  from  him, 
but  the  surging  passion  in  his  veins  had  deprived 
him  of  his  self-control.  Nefert's  image  stood  before  him 
as  if  beckoning  him;  a  mysterious  power  clenched  his 
fingers  close  and  yet  closer  round  the  phial,  and  with 
the  same  defiance  which  he  showed  to  his  associates, 
he  poured  half  of  the  philter  into  the  cup  and  ap- 
proached his  victim. 

Nefert  had  meanwhile  left  her  shady  retreat  and 
come  towards  him. 

She  silently  accepted  the  water  he  offered  her, 
and  drank  it  with  delight,  to  the  very  dregs. 

"Thank  you,"  she  said,  when  she  had  recovered 
breath  after  her  eager  draught. 

"That  has  done  me  good!  How  fresh  and  acid  the 
water  tastes;  but  your  hand  shakes,  and  you  are  heated 
by  your  quick  run  for  me — poor  man." 


UARDA. 


99 


With  these  words  she  looked  at  him  with  a  peculiar 
expressive  glance  of  her  large  eyes,  and  gave  him  her 
right  hand,  which  he  pressed  wildly  to  his  lips. 

"That  will  do,"  she  said  smiling;  "here  comes  the 
princess  with  a  priest,  out  of  the  hovel  of  the  unclean. 
With  what  frightful  words  you  terrified  me  just  now. 
It  is  true  I  gave  you  just  cause  to  be  angry  with  me ; 
but  now  you  are  kind  again — do  you  hear? — and  will 
bring  your  mother  again  to  see  mine.  Not  a  word.  I 
shall  see,  whether  cousin  Paaker  refuses  me  obedi- 
ence." 

"She  threatened  him  playfully  with  her  finger,  and 
then  growing  grave  she  added,  with  a  look  that  pierced 
Paaker's  heart  with  pain,  and  yet  with  ecstasy,  "Let  us 
leave  off  quarrelling.  It  is  so  much  better  when  people 
are  kind  to  each  other." 

After  these  words  she  walked  towards  the  house  of 
the  paraschites,  while  Paaker  pressed  his  hands  to  his 
breast,  and  murmured: 

"The  drink  is  working,  and  she  will  be  mine.  I 
thank  ye— ye  Immortals!" 

But  this  thanksgiving,  which  hitherto  he  had  never 
failed  to  utter  when  any  good  fortune  had  befallen  him, 
to-day  died  on  his  lips.  Close  before  him  he  saw  the 
goal  of  his  desires;  there,  under  his  eyes,  lay  the  magic 
spring  longed  for  for  years.  A  few  steps  farther,  and  he 
might  slake  at  its  copious  stream  his  thirst  both  for 
love  and  for  revenge. 

While  he  followed  the  wife  of  Mena,  and  replaced 
the  phial  carefully  in  his  girdle,  so  as  to  lose  no  drop 
of  the  precious  fluid  which,  according  to  the  prescription 
of  the  old  woman,  he  needed  to  use  again,  warning 
voices  spoke  in  his  breast,  to  which  he  usually  listened 


100  UARDA. 

as  to  a  fatherly  admonition;  but  at  this  moment  he 
mocked  at  them,  and  even  gave  outward  expression  to 
the  mood  that  ruled  him — for  he  flung  up  his  right  hand 
like  a  drunken  man,  who  turns  away  from  the  preacher 
of  morality  on  his  way  to  the  wine-cask;  and  yet  passion 
held  him  so  closely  ensnared,  that  the  thought  that  he 
should  live  through  the  swift  moments  which  would 
change  him  from  an  honest  man  into  a  criminal,  hard- 
ly dawned,  darkly  on  his  soul.  He  had  hitherto  dared 
to  indulge  his  desire  for  love  and  revenge  in  thought 
only,  and  had  left  it  to  the  Gods  to  act  for  themselves; 
now  he  had  taken  his  cause  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
Celestials,  and  gone  into  action  without  them,  and  in 
spite  of  them. 

The  sorceress  Hekt  passed  him;  she  wanted  to  see 
the  woman  for  whom  she  had  given  him  the  philter.  He 
perceived  her  and  shuddered,  but  soon  the  old  woman 
vanished  among  the  rocks  muttering. 

"  Look  at  the  fellow  with  six  toes.  He  makes  himself 
comfortable  with  the  heritage  of  Assa." 

In  the  middle  of  the  valley  walked  Nefert  and  the 
pioneer,  with  the  princess  Bent-Anat  and  Pentaur  who 
accompanied  her. 

When  these  two  had  come  out  of  the  hut  of  the 
paraschites,  they  stood  opposite  each  other  in  silence. 

The  royal  maiden  pressed  her  hand  to  her  heart, 
and,  like  one  who  is  thirsty,  drank  in  the  pure  air  of 
the  mountain  valley  with  deeply  drawn  breath;  she  felt 
as  if  released  from  some  overwhelming  burden,  as  if 
delivered  from  some  frightful  danger. 

At  last  she  turned  to  her  companion,  who  gazed 
earnestly  at  the  ground. 

"What  an  hour!"  she  said. 


TJARDA.  101 

Pentaur's  tall  figure  did  not  move,  but  he  bowed 
his  head  in  assent,  as  if  he  were  in  a  dream. 

Bent-Anat  now  saw  him  for  the  first  time  in  full 
daylight;  her  large  eyes  rested  on  him  with  admiration, 
and  she  asked: 

"Art  thou  the  priest,  who  yesterday,  after  my  first 
visit  to  this  house,  so  readily  restored  me  to  cleanness  ?" 

"  I  am  he,"  replied  Pentaur. 

"I  recognized  thy  voice,  and  I  am  grateful  to  thee, 
for  it  was  thou  that  didst  strengthen  my  courage  to 
follow  the  impulse  of  my  heart,  in  spite  of  my  spiritual 
guides,  and  to  come  here  again.  Thou  wilt  defend  me 
if  others  blame  me." 

"I  came  here  to  pronounce  thee  unclean." 

"Then  thou  hast  changed  thy  mind?"  asked  Bent- 
Anat,  and  a  smile  of  contempt  curled  her  lips. 

"I  follow  a  high  injunction,  that  commands  us  to 
keep  the  old  institutions  sacred.  If  touching  a  paras- 
chites,  it  is  said,  does  not  defile  a  princess,  whom  then 
can  it  defile?  for  whose  garment  is  more  spotless  than 
hers?" 

"But  this  is  a  good  man  with  all  his  meanness," 
interrupted  Bent-Anat,  "and  in  spite  of  the  disgrace, 
which  is  the  bread  of  life  to  him  as  honor  is  to  us. 
May  the  nine  great  Gods  forgive  me!  but  he  who  is  in 
there  is  loving,  pious  and  b'rave,  and  pleases  me — and 
thou,  thou,  who  didst  think  yesterday  to  purge  away  the 
taint  of  his  touch  with  a  word — what  prompts  thee  to- 
day to  cast  him  with  the  lepers?" 

"The  admonition  of  an  enlightened  man,  never  to 
give  up  any  link  of  the  old  institutions;  because 
thereby  the  already  weakened  chain  may  be  broken, 
and  fall  rattling  to  the  ground.' ' 


102  UARDA. 

"Then  thou  condemnest  me  to  uncleanness  for  the 
sake  of  an  old  superstition,  and  of  the  populace,  but 
not  for  my  actions  ?  Thou  art  silent  ?  Answer  me  now, 
if  thou  art  such  a  one  as  I  took  thee  for,  freely  and 
sincerely;  for  it  concerns  the  peace  of  my  soul." 

Pentaur  breathed  hard;  and  then  from  the  depths 
of  his  soul,  tormented  by  doubts,  these  deeply-felt 
words  forced  themselves  as  if  wrung  from  him ;  at  first 
softly,  but  louder  as  he  went  on. 

"Thou  dost  compel  me  to  say  what  I  had  better 
not  even  think;  but  rather  will  I  sin  against  obedience 
than  against  truth,  the  pure  daughter  of  the  Sun,  whose 
aspect,  Bent-Anat,  thou  dost  wear.  Whether  the  paras- 
chites  is  unclean  by  birth  or  not,  who  am  I  that  I 
should  decide  ?  But  to  me  this  man  appeared — as  to 
thee — as  one  moved  by  the  same  pure  and  holy  emo- 
tions as  stir  and  bless  me  and  mine,  and  thee  and 
every  soul  born  of  woman;  and  I  believe  that  the  im- 
pressions of  this  hour  have  touched  thy  soul  as  well  as 
mine,  not  to  taint,  but  to  purify.  If  I  am  wrong,  may 
the  many-named  Gods  forgive  me,  Whose  breath  lives 
and  works  in  the  paraschites  as  well  as  in  thee  and  me, 
in  Whom  I  believe,  and  to  Whom  I  will  ever  address 
my  humble  songs,  louder  and  more  joyfully,  as  I  learn 
that  all  that  lives  and  breathes,  that  weeps  and  rejoices, 
is  the  image  of  their  sublime  nature,  and  born  to  equal 
joy  and  equal  sorrow." 

Pentaur  had  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven;  now  they 
met  the  proud  and  joyful  radiance  of  the  princess'  glance, 
while  she  frankly  offered  him  her  hand.  He  humbly 
kissed  her  robe,  but  she  said : 

"  Nay — not  so.  Lay  thy  hand  in  blessing  on  mine. 
Thou  art  a  man  and  a  true  priest.  Now  I  can  be  satis- 


UARDA.  103 

fied  to  be  regarded  as  unclean,  for  my  father  also  de- 
sires that,  by  us  especially,  the  institutions  of  the  past 
that  have  so  long  continued  should  be  respected,  for 
the  sake  of  the  people.  Let  us  pray  in  common  to  the 
Gods,  that  these  poor  people  may  be  released  from  the 
old  ban.  Ho\v  beautiful  the  world  might  be,  if  men 
would  but  let  man  remain  what  the  Celestials  have 
made  him.  But  Paaker  and  poor  Nefert  are  waiting  in 
the  scorching  sun — come,  follow  me." 

She  went  forward,  but  after  a  few  steps  she  turned 
round  to  him,  and  asked: 

"What  is  thy  name?" 

"  Pentaur." 

"Thou  then  art  the  poet  of  the  House  of  Seti?" 

"They  call  me  so." 

Bent-Anat  stood  still  a  moment,  gazing  full  at  him 
as  at  a  kinsman  whom  we  meet  for  the  first  time  face 
to  face,  and  said: 

"The  Gods  have  given  thee  great  gifts,  for  thy 
glance  reaches  farther  and  pierces  deeper  than  that  of 
other  men;  and  thou  canst  say  in  words  what  we  can 
only  feel — I  follow  thee  willingly!" 

Pentaur  blushed  like  a  boy,  and  said,  while  Paaker 
and  Nefert  came  nearer  to  them: 

"Till  to-day  life  lay  before  me  as  if  in  twilight;  but 
this  moment  shows  it  me  in  "another  light.  I  have  seen 
its  deepest  shadows;  and,"  he  added  in  a  low  tone 
"how  glorious  its  light  can  be." 


104  UARDA. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AN  hour  later,  Bent-Anat  and  her  train  of  followers 
stood  before  the  gate  of  the  House  of  Seti. 

Swift  as  a  ball  thrown  from  a  man's  hand,  a  runner 
had  sprung  forward  and  hurried  on  to  announce  the 
approach  of  the  princess  to  the  chief  priest.  She  stood 
alone  in  her  chariot,  in  advance  of  all  her  companions, 
for  Pentaur  had  found  a  place  with  Paaker.  At  the 
gate  of  the  temple  they  were  met  by  the  head  of  the 
haruspices. 

The  great  doors  of  the  pylon  were  wide  open,  and 
afforded  a  view  into  the  forecourt  of  the  sanctuary, 
paved  with  polished  squares  of  stone,  and  surrounded 
on  three  sides  with  colonnades.  The  walls  and  archi- 
traves, the  pillars  and  the  fluted  cornice,  which  slightly 
curved  in  over  the  court,  were  gorgeous  with  many- 
colored  figures  and  painted  decorations.  In  the  middle 
stood  a  great  sacrificial  altar,  on  which  burned  logs  of 
cedar  wood,  whilst  fragrant  balls  of  Kyphi*  were  con- 
sumed by  the  flames,  filling  the  wide  space  with  their 
heavy  perfume.  Around,  in  semi-circular  array,  stood 
more  than  a  hundred  white-robed  priests,  who  all  turned 
to  face  the  approaching  princess,  and  sang  heart-rend- 
ing songs  of  lamentation. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Necropolis  had  col- 
lected on  either  side  of  the  lines  of  sphinxes,  between 
which  the  princess  drove  up  to  the  Sanctuary.  But 

*  Kyphi  was  a  celebrated  Egyptian  incense.  Recipes  for  its  preparation 
have  been  preserved  in  the  papyrus  of  F.bers,  in  the  laboratories  of  the  temples, 
and  elsewhere.  Parthey  had  three  different  varieties  prepared  by  the  chemist, 
L.  Voigt,  in  Berlin.  Kyphi  after  the  formula  of  Dioskorides  was  the  best.  It 
consisted  of  rosin,  wine,  rad,  galangae,  juniper  berries,  the  root  of  the 
aromatic  rush,  asphalte,  mastic,  myrrh,  Burgundy  grapes,  and  honey. 


UARDA.  105 

none  asked  what  these  songs  of  lamentation  might  sig- 
nify, for  about  this  sacred  place  lamentation  and  mystery 
for  ever  lingered.  "Hail  to  the  child  of  Rameses!" 
"All  hail  to  the  daughter  of  the  Sun!"  rang  from  a 
thousand  throats;  and  the  assembled  multitude  bowed 
almost  to  the  earth  at  the  approach  of  the  royal 
maiden. 

At  the  pylon,  the  princess  descended  from  her 
chariot,  and  preceded  by  the  chief  of  the  haruspices, 
who  had  gravely  and  silently  greeted  her,  passed  on  to 
the  door  of  the  temple.  But  as  she  prepared  to  cross 
the  forecourt,  suddenly,  without  warning,  the  priests' 
chant  swelled  to  a  terrible,  almost  thundering  loudness, 
the  clear,  shrill  voice  of  the  Temple  scholars  rising  in 
passionate  lament,  supported  by  the  deep  and  threaten- 
ing roll  of  the  basses. 

Bent-Anat  started  and  checked  her  steps.  Then 
she  walked  on  again. 

But  on  the  threshold  of  the  door,  Ameni,  in  full 
pontifical  robes,  stood  before  her  in  the  way,  his  crozier 
extended  as  though  to  forbid  her  entrance. 

"The  advent  of  the  daughter  of  Rameses  in  her 
purity,"  he  cried  in  loud  and  passionate  tones,  "augurs 
blessing  to  this  sanctuary;  but  this  abode  of  the  Gods 
closes  its  portals  on  the  unclean,  be  they  slaves  or 
princes.  In  the  name  of  the  Immortals,  from  whom  thou 
art  descended,  I  ask  thee,  Bent-Anat,  art  thou  clean, 
or  hast  thou,  through  the  touch  of  the  unclean,  defiled 
thyself  and  contaminated  thy  royal  hand?" 

Deep  scarlet  flushed  the  maiden's  cheeks,  there  was 
a  rushing  sound  in  her  ears  as  of  a  stormy  sea  surging 
close  beside  her,  and  her  bosom  rose  and  fell  in  pas- 
sionate emotion.  The  kingly  blood  in  her  veins  boiled 


106  UARDA. 

wildly;  she  felt  that  an  unworthy  part  had  been  assigned 
to  her  in  a  carefully-premeditated  scene;  she  forgot 
her  resolution  to  accuse  herself  of  uncleanness,  and 
already  her  lips  were  parted  in  vehement  protest  against 
the  priestly  assumption  that  so  deeply  stirred  her  to 
rebellion,  when  Ameni,  who  placed  himself  directly 
in  front  of  the  Princess,  raised  his  eyes,  and  turned 
them  full  upon  her  with  all  the  depths  of  their  indwell- 
ing earnestness. 

The  words  died  away,  and  Bent-Anat  stood  silent, 
but  she  endured  the  gaze,  and  returned  it  proudly  and 
defiantly. 

The  blue  veins  started  in  Ameni's  forehead;  yet  he 
repressed  the  resentment  which  was  gathering  like 
thunder  clouds  in  his  soul,  and  said,  with  a  voice  that 
gradually  deviated  more  and  more  from  its  usual  mod- 
eration : 

"For  the  second  time  the  Gods  demand  through 
me,  their  representative:  Hast  thou  entered  this  holy 
place  in  order  that  the  Celestials  may  purge  thee  of 
the  defilement  that  stains  thy  body  and  soul  ?" 

"  My  father  will  communicate  the  answer  to  thee," 
replied  Bent-Anat  shortly  and  proudly. 

"Not  to  me,"  returned  Ameni,  "but  to  the  Gods,  in 
whose  name  I  now  command  thee  to  quit  this  sanctu- 
ary, which  is  defiled  by  thy  presence." 

Bent-Anat's  whole  form  quivered.  "  I  will  go,"  she 
said  with  sullen  dignity. 

She  turned  to  recross  the  gateway  of  the  Pylon. 
At  the  first  step  her  glance  met  the  eye  of  the  poet. 

As  one  to  whom  it  is  vouchsafed  to  stand  and  gaze 
at  some  great  prodigy,  so  Pentaur  had  stood  opposite 
the  royal  maiden,  uneasy  and  yet  fascinated,  agitated, 


UARBA.  107 

yet  with  secretly  uplifted  soul.  Her  deed  seemed  to 
him  of  boundless  audacity,  and  yet  one  suited  to  her 
true  and  noble  nature.  By  her  side,  Ameni,  his  revered 
and  admired  master,  sank  into  insignificance;  and  when 
she  turned  to  leave  the  temple,  his  hand  was  raised  in- 
deed to  hold  her  back,  but  as  his  glance  met  hers,  his 
hand  refused  its  office,  and  sought  instead  to  still  the 
throbbing  of  his  overflowing  heart. 

The  experienced  priest,  meanwhile,  read  the  features 
of  these  two  guileless  beings  like  an  open  book.  A 
quickly-formed  tie,  he  felt,  linked  their  souls,  and  the 
look  which  he  saw  them  exchange  startled  him.  The 
rebellious  princess  had  glanced  at  the  poet  as  though 
claiming  approbation  for  her  triumph,  and  Pentaur's 
eyes  had  responded  to  the  appeal. 

One  instant  Ameni  paused.  Then  he  cried:  "Bent- 
Anat!" 

The  princess  turned  to  the  priest,  and  looked  at 
him  gravely  and  enquiringly. 

Ameni  took  a  step  forward,  and  stood  between  her 
and  the  poet. 

"Thou  wouldst  challenge  the  Gods  to  combat,"  he 
said  sternly.  "That  is  bold;  but  such  daring  it  seems 
to  me  has  grown  up  in  thee  because  thou  canst  count 
on  an  ally,  who  stands  scarcely  farther  from  the  Im- 
mortals than  I  myself.  Hear  this: — to  thee,  the  mis- 
guided child,  much  may  be  forgiven.  But  a  servant  of 
the  Divinity,"  and  with  these  words  he  turned  a  threaten- 
ing glance  on  Pentaur — "a  priest,  who  in  the  war  of 
free-will  against  law  becomes  a  deserter,  who  forgets 
his  duty  and  his  oath — he  will  not  long  stand  beside 
thee  to  support  thee,  for  he — even  though  every  God 


108  UARDA. 

had  blessed  him  with  the  richest  gifts — he  is  damned. 
We  drive  him  from  among  us,  we  curse  him,  we — " 

At  these  words  Bent-Anat  looked  now  at  Ameni, 
trembling  with  excitement,  now  at  Pentaur  standing 
opposite  to  her.  Her  face  was  red  and  white  by  turns, 
as  light  and  shade  chase  each  other  on  the  ground  when 
at  noon-day  a  palm-grove  is  stirred  by  a  storm. 

The  poet  took  a  step  towards  her. 

She  felt  that  if  he  spoke  it  would  be  to  defend  all 
that  she  had  done,  and  to  ruin  himself.  A  deep 
sympathy,  a  nameless  anguish  seized  her  soul,  and 
before  Pentaur  could  open  his  lips,  she  had  sunk  slowly 
down  before  Ameni,  saying  in  low  tones : 

"  I  have  sinned  and  defiled  myself;  thou  hast  said 
it — as  Pentaur  said  it  by  the  hut  of  the  paraschites. 
Restore  me  to  cleanness,  Ameni,  for  I  am  unclean." 

Like  a  flame  that  is  crushed  out  by  a  hand,  so  the 
fire  in  the  high-priest's  eye  was  extinguished.  Gracious- 
ly, almost  lovingly,  he  looked  down  on  the  princess, 
blessed  her  and  conducted  her  before  the  holy  of  holies, 
there  had  clouds  of  incense  wafted  round  her,  anointed 
her  with  the  nine  holy  oils,  and  commanded  her  to  re- 
turn to  the  royal  castle. 

Yet,  said  he,  her  guilt  was  not  expiated;  she  should 
shortly  learn  by  what  prayers  and  exercises  she  might 
attain  once  more  to  perfect  purity  before  the  Gods, 
of  whom  he  purposed  to  enquire  in  the  holy  place. 

During  all  these  ceremonies  the  priests  stationed  in 
the  forecourt  continued  their  lamentations. 

The  people  standing  before  the  temple  listened  to  the 
priest's  chant,  and  interrupted  it  from  time  to  time  with 
ringing  cries  of  wailing,  for  already  a  dark  rumor  of 


UARDA.  ICQ 

what  was  going  on  within  had  spread  among  the  mul- 
titude. 

The  sun  was  going  down.  The  visitors  to  the 
Necropolis  must  soon  be  leaving  it,  and  Bent-Anat,  for 
whose  appearance  the  people  impatiently  waited,  would 
not  show  herself.  One  and  another  said  the  princess 
had  been  cursed,  because  she  had  taken  remedies  to 
the  fair  and  injured  Uarda,  who  was  known  to  many 
of  them. 

Among  the  curious  who  had  flocked  together  were 
many  embalmers,  laborers,  and  humble  folk,  who  lived 
in  the  Necropolis.  The  mutinous  and  refractory  tem- 
per of  the  Egyptians,  which  brought  such  heavy  suffer- 
ing on  them  under  their  later  foreign  rulers,  was 
aroused,  and  rising  with  every  minute.  They  reviled 
the  pride  of  the  priests,  and  their  senseless,  worthless, 
institutions.  A  drunken  soldier,  who  soon  reeled  back 
into  the  tavern  which  he  had  but  just  left,  distinguished 
himself  as  ringleader,  and  was  the  first  to  pick  up  a 
heavy  stone  to  fling  at  the  huge  brass-plated  temple- 
gates.  A  few  boys  followed  his  example  with  shouts, 
and  law-abiding  men  even,  urged  by  the  clamor  of 
fanatical  women,  let  themselves  be  led  away  to  stone- 
flinging  and  words  of  abuse. 

Within  the  House  of  Seti  the  priests'  chant  went 
on  uninterruptedly;  but  at  last,  when  the  noise  of  the 
crowd  grew  louder,  the  great  gate  was  thrown  open, 
and  with  a  solemn  step  Ameni,  in  full  robes,  and  fol- 
lowed by  twenty  pastophori  *  who  bore  images  of  the 
Gods  and  holy  symbols  on  their  shoulders — Ameni 
walked  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd. 

All  were  silent. 

*  An  order  of  priests. 


IIO  UARDA. 

"Wherefore  do  you  disturb  our  worship  ?"  he  asked 
loudly  and  calmly. 

A  roar  of  confused  cries  answered  him,  in  which 
the  frequently  repeated  name  of  Bent-Anat  could  alone 
be  distinguished. 

Ameni  preserved  his  immoveable  composure,  and, 
raising  his  crozier,  he  cried — 

"Make  way  for  the  daughter  of  Rameses,  who 
sought  and  has  found  purification  from  the  Gods,  who 
behold  the  guilt  of  the  highest  as  of  the  lowest  among 
you.  They  reward  the  pious,  but  they  punish  the 
offender.  Kneel  down  and  let  us  pray  that  they  may 
forgive  you,  and  bless  both  you  and  your  children." 

Ameni  took  the  holy  Sistrum*  from  one  of  the  at- 
tendant pastophori,  and  held  it  on  high ;  the  priests 
behind  him  raised  a  solemn  hymn,  and  the  crowd  sank 
on  their  knees ;  nor  did  they  move  till  the  chant  ceased 
and  the  high-priest  again  cried  out : 

"The  Immortals  bless  you  by  me  their  servant. 
Leave  this  spot  and  make  way  for  the  daughter  of 
Rameses." 

With  these  words  he  withdrew  into  the  temple, 
and  the  patrol,  without  meeting  with  any  opposition, 
cleared  the  road  guarded  by  Sphinxes  which  led  to 
the  Nile. 

As  Bent-Anat  mounted  her  chariot  Ameni  said  : 

"Thou  art  the  child  of  kings.     The  house  of  thy 

*  A  rattling  metal  instrument  used  hv  the  F.'jypthns  in  the  service  of  the 
Gods.  Many  specimens  are  extant  i:i  Museums.  Plutarch  describes  it  cor- 
rectly, thus:  "The  Sistrum  is  rounded  above,  and  the  loop  holds  the  four  bars 
which  are  shaken.  On  the  bend  of  the  Sistrum  they  often  set  the  head  of  a 
cat  with  a  human  face:  below  the  four  little  bars,  on  one  side  is  the  face  of 
Isis,  on  the  other  that  of  Nephthys."  The  cat  head  is  seen  on  a  bronze  Sistrum 
in  the  Berlin  Museum:  on  other  examples  we  find  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
handle  the  usual  mask  of  Hathor.  In  the  sanctuary  of  this  Goddess  at  Dendera 
the  image  of  the  holy  Sistru.n  was  thrown  iulo  great  prominence. 


T)ARDA.  Ill 

father  rests  on  the  shoulders  of  the  people.  Loosen 
the  old  laws  which  hold  them  subject,  and  the  people 
will  conduct  themselves  like  these  fools." 

Ameni  retired.  Bent-Anat  slowly  arranged  the  reins 
in  her  hand,  her  eyes  resting  the  while  on  the  poet, 
who,  leaning  against  a  door-post,  gazed  at  her  in 
beatitude.  She  let  her  whip  fall  to  the  ground,  that  he 
might  pick  it  up  and  restore  it  to  her,  but  he  did  not 
observe  it.  A  runner  sprang  forward  and  handed  it 
to  the  princess,  whose  horses  started  off,  tossing  them- 
selves and  neighing. 

Pentaur  remained  as  if  spell-bound,  standing  by 
the  pillar,  till  the  rattle  of  the  departing  wheels  on 
the  flag-way  of  the  Avenue  of  Sphinxes  had  altogether 
died  away,  and  the  reflection  of  the  glowing  sunset 
painted  the  eastern  hills  with  soft  and  rosy  hues. 

The  far-sounding  clang  of  a  brass  gong  roused  the 
poet  from  his  ecstasy.  It  was  the  tomtom  calling  him 
to  duty,  to  the  lecture  on  rhetoric  which  at  this  hour 
he  had  to  deliver  to  the  young  priests.  He  laid  his 
left  hand  to  his  heart,  and  pressed  his  right  hand  to 
his  forehead,  as  if  to  collect  in  its  grasp  his  wandering 
thoughts ;  then  silently  and  mechanically  he  went  to- 
wards the  open  court  in  which  his  disciples  awaited 
him.  But  instead  of,  as  usual,  considering  on  the  way 
the  subject  he  was  to  treat,  his  spirit  and  heart  were 
occupied  with  the  occurrences  of  the  last  few  hours. 
One  image  reigned  supreme  in  his  imagination,  filling  it 
with  delight — it  was  that  of  the  fairest  woman,  who, 
radiant  in  her  royal  dignity  and  trembling  with  pride, 
had  thrown  herself  in  the  dust  for  his  sake.  He  felt  as 
if  her  action  had  invested  her  whole  being  with  a  new 
and  princely  worth,  as  if  her  glance  had  brought  light 


112  UARDA. 

to  his  inmost  soul,  he  seemed  to  breathe  a  freer  air, 
to  be  borne  onward  on  winged  feet. 

In  such  a  mood  he  appeared  before  his  hearers. 

When  he  found  himself  confronting  all  the  the  well- 
known  faces,  he  remembered  what  it  was  he  was 
called  upon  to  do.  He  supported  himself  against  the 
wall  of  the  court,  and  opened  the  papyrus-roll  handed 
to  him  by  his  favorite  pupil,  the  young  Anana.  It 
was  the  book  which  twenty-four  hours  ago  he  had 
promised  to  begin  upon.  He  looked  now  upon  the 
characters  that  covered  it,  and  felt  that  he  was  unable 
to  read  a  word. 

\Vith  a  powerful  effort  he  collected  himself,  and 
looking  upwards  tried  to  find  the  thread  he  had  cut 
at  the  end  of  yesterday's  lecture,  and  intended  to  re- 
sume to-day ;  but  between  yesterday  and  to-day,  as  it 
seemed  to  him,  lay  a  vast  'sea  whose  roaring  surges 
stunned  his  memory  and  powers  of  thought. 

His  scholars,  squatting  cross-legged  on  reed  mats 
before  him,  gazed  in  astonishment  on  their  silent 
master  who  was  usually  so  ready  of  speech,  and  looked 
enquiringly  at  each  other.  A  young  priest  whispered 
to  his  neighbor,  "He  is  praying — "  and  Anana 
noticed  with  silent  anxiety  the  strong  hand  of  his 
teacher  clutching  the  manuscript  so  tightly  that  the 
slight  material  of  which  it  consisted  threatened  to 
split. 

At  last  Pentaur  looked  down ;  he  had  found  a 
subject.  While  he  was  looking  upwards  his  gaze  fell 
on  the  opposite  wall,  and  the  painted  name  of  the 
king  with  the  accompanying  title  "the  good  God"  met 
his  eye.  Starting  from  these  words  he  put  this  question 


UARDA.  113 

to  his  hearers,  "  How  do  we  apprehend  the  Goodness 
of  the  Divinity?" 

He  challenged  one  priest  after  another  to  treat  this 
subject  as  if  he  were  standing  before  his  future  con- 
gregation. 

Several  disciples  rose,  and  spoke  with  more  or  less 
truth  and  feeling.  At  last  it  came  to  Anana's  turn, 
who,  in  well-chosen  words,  praised  the  purpose-full 
beauty  of  animate  and  inanimate  creation,  in  which 
the  goodness  of  Amon,*  of  Ra,**  and  Ptah,***  as  well 
as  of  the  other  Gods,  finds  expression. 

Pentaur  listened  to  the  youth  with  folded  arms, 
now  looking  at  him  enquiringly,  now  adding  approba- 
tion. Then  taking  up  the  thread  of  the  discourse 
when  it  was  ended,  he  began  himself  to  speak. 

Like  obedient  falcons  at  the  call  of  the  falconer, 


*  Amon,  that  is  to  say,  "  the  hidden  one."  He  was  the  God  of  Thebes,  which 
was  under  his  aegis,  and  after  the  Hyksos  were  expelled  from  the  Nile-valley, 
he  was  united  with  Ra  of  Heliopolis  and  endowed  with  the  attributes  of  all  the 
remaining  (Joels.  His  nature  was  more  and  more  spiritualized,  till  in  the  esoteric 
philosophy  of  the  time  of  the  Ramescs  he  i;  compared  to  the  All-filling:  and  All- 
guiding  intelligence.  He  is  "  the  husband  of  his  mother,  his  own  father,  and 
his  own  son,"  As  the  living  Osiris,  he  is  the  soul  and  spirit  of  all  creation, 
which  first  enters  on  a  higher  order  of  existence  through  H*n.  He  was  "bencv. 
olent,"  "beautiful,"  "without  equal,"  and  also  was  called  the  "annihilator 
of  evil" — by  which  man  expressed  his  reverence  for  the  hidden  power  which 
raises  the  good,  and  overthrows  the  wicked.  He  is  recognized  by  the  tall 
double  plume  on  his  crown.  He  was  represented  with  a  ram's  head  as 
Amon  Chnem. 

*•'•"  Ra,  originally  the  Sun-God;  Inter  hi-,  name  was  introduced  into  the 
pantheistic  mystic  philosophy  for  that  of  the  God  who  is  the  Universe. 

***  Ptah  is  the  Greek  Hc-ihaistos,  the  oldest  of  the  Go:ls,  the  great  maker 
of  the  material  for  the  creation,  the  "first  besrinner,"  by  whose  side  the  seven 
Chnenui  stand,  as  architects,  to  heln  him,  and  who  was  named  "the  lord  of 
truth,"  because  the  laws  and  conditions  of  being  proceeded  from  him.  He 
created  also  the  gen-,',  of  light,  he  stno  1  then-fore  at  the  head  of  the  solar  Gods, 
and  was  called  the  creator  of  ice,  from  which,  when  he  had  cleft  it,  the  sun 
and  the  moon  came  forth.  Hence  his  name  "the  opener."  Memphis  was  the 
centre  of  his  worship,  Apis  his  sacred  aninvil.  In  the  mysteries  of  the  under- 
world, and  of  immortality  he  appears  usually  under  the  name  of  Ptah  Sokar 
Osiris,  who  grants  to  the  setting  sun  the  power  to  rise  again,  as  to  the  dead, 
the  power  of  resurrection. 


114  UARDA. 

thoughts  rushed  down  into  his  mind,  and  the  divine 
passion  awakened  in  his  breast  glowed  and  shone 
through  his  inspired  language  that  soared  every  mo- 
ment on  freer  and  stronger  wings.  Melting  into  pathos, 
exulting  in  rapture,  he  praised  the  splendor  of  nature; 
and  the  words  flowed  from  his  lips  like  a  limpid 
crystal-clear  stream  as  he  glorified  the  eternal  order  of 
things,  and  the  incomprehensible  wisdom  and  care  of 
the  Creator — the  One,  who  is  one  alone,  and  great  and 
without  equal. 

"So  incomparable,"  he  said  in  conclusion,  "is  the 
home  which  God  has  given  us.  All  that  He — the  One 
— has  created  is  penetrated  with  His  own  essence,  and 
bears  witness  to  His  Goodness.  He  who  knows  how  to 
find  Him  sees  Him  everywhere,  and  lives  at  every  in- 
stant in  the  enjoyment  of  His  glory.  Seek  Him,  and 
when  ye  have  found  Him  fall  down  and  sing  praises 
before  Him.  But  praise  the  Highest,  not  only  in  grati- 
tude for  the  splendor  of  that  which  he  has  created, 
but  for  having  given  us  the  capacity  for  delight  in  his 
work.  Ascend  the  mountain  peaks  and  look  on  the 
distant  country,  worship  when  the  sunset  glows  with 
rubies,  and  the  dawn  with  roses,  go  out  in  the  night- 
time, and  look  at  the  stars  as  they  travel  in  eternal, 
unerring,  immeasurable,  and  endless  circles  on  silver 
barks  through  the  blue  vault  of  heaven,  stand  by  the 
cradle  of  the  child,  by  the  buds  of  the  flowers,  and 
see  how  the  mother  bends  over  the  one,  and  the 
bright  dew-drops  fall  on  the  other.  But  would  you 
know  where  the  stream  of  divine  goodness  is  most 
freely  poured  out,  where  the  grace  of  the  Creator  be- 
stows the  richest  gifts,  and  where  His  holiest  altars 
are  prepared?  In  your  own  heart;  so  long  as  it  is 


UARDA.  115 

pure  and  full  of  love.  In  such  a  heart,  nature  is 
reflected  as  in  a  magic  mirror,  on  whose  surface  the 
Beautiful  shines  in  three-fold  beauty.  There  the  eye 
can  reach  far  away  over  stream,  and  meadow,  and  hill, 
and  take  in  the  whole  circle  of  the  earth;  there  the 
morning  and  evening-red  shine,  not  like  roses  and 
rubies,  but  like  the  very  cheeks  of  the  Goddess  of 
Beauty;  there  the  stars  circle  on,  not  in  silence,  but 
with  the  mighty  voices  of  the  pure  eternal  harmonies 
of  heaven;  there  the  child  smiles  like  an  infant-god, 
and  the  bud  unfolds  to  magic  flowers;  finally,  there 
thankfulness  grows  broader  and  devotion  grows  deeper, 
and  we  throw  ourselves  into  the  arms  of  a  God,  who 
— as  I  imagine  his  glory — is  a  God  to  whom  the 
sublime  nine  great  Gods  pray  as  miserable  and  help- 
less suppliants." 

The  tomtom  which  announced  the  end  of  the  hour 
interrupted  him. 

Pentaur  ceased  speaking  with  a  deep  sigh,  and  for 
a  minute  not  a  scholar  moved. 

At  last  the  poet  laid  the  papyrus  roll  out  of  his 
hand,  wiped  the  sweat  from  his  hot  brow,  and  walked 
slowly  towards  the  gate  of  the  court,  which  led  into 
the  sacred  grove  of  the  temple.  He  had  hardly  crossed 
the  threshold  when  he  felt  a  hand  laid  upon  his 
shoulder. 

He  looked  round.     Behind  him  stood  Ameni. 

"You  fascinated  your  hearers,  my  friend,"  said  the 
high-priest,  coldly;  "it  is  a  pity  that  only  the  harp  was 
wanting." 

Ameni's  words  fell  on  the  agitated  spirit  of  the 
poet  like  ice  on  the  breast  of  a  man  in  fever.  He 
knew  this  tone  in  his  master's  voice,  for  thus  he  was 


Il6  UARDA. 

accustomed  to  reprove  bad  scholars  and  erring  priests; 
but  to  him  he  had  never  yet  so  spoken. 

"  It  certainly  would  seem,"  continued  the  high- 
priest,  bitterly,  "as  if  in  your  intoxication  you  had 
forgotten  what  it  becomes  the  teacher  to  utter  in  the 
lecture-hall.  Only  a  few  weeks  since  you  swore  on  my 
hands  to  guard  the  mysteries,  and  this  day  you  have 
offered  the  great  secret  of  the  Unnameable  one,  the 
most  sacred  posession  of  the  initiated,  like  some  cheap 
ware  in  the  open  market." 

"Thou  cuttest  with  knives,"  said  Pentaur. 

"  May  they  prove  sharp,  and  extirpate  the  un- 
developed canker,  the  rank  weed  from  your  soul,"  cried 
the  high-priest.  "You  are  young,  too  young;  not  like 
the  tender  fruit-tree  that  lets  itself  be  trained  aright, 
and  brought  to  perfection,  but  like  the  green  fruit  on 
the  ground,  which  will  turn  to  poison  for  the  children 
who  pick  it  up~-yea  even  though  it  fall  from  a  sacred 
tree.  Gagabu  and  I  received  you  among  us,  against 
the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  the  initiated.  We 
gainsaid  all  those  who  doubted  your  ripeness  because 
of  your  youth;  and  you  swore  to  me,  gratefully  and 
enthusiastically,  to  guard  the  mysteries  and  the  law. 
To-day  for  the  first  time  I  set  you  on  the  battle-field 
of  life  beyond  the  peaceful  shelter  of  the  schools.  And 
how  have  you  defended  the  standard  that  it  was  in- 
cumbent on  you  to  uphold  and  maintain  ?  " 

"I  did  that  which  seemed  to  me  to  be  right  and 
true,"  answered  Pentaur  deeply  moved. 

"Right  is  the  same  for  you  as  for  us — what  the 
law  prescribes;  and  what  is  truth?" 

"None  has  lifted  her  veil,"  said  Pentaur,  "but  my 
soul  is  the  offspring  of  the  soul-filled  body  of  the  All; 


UARDA.  117 

a  portion  of  the  infallible  spirit  of  the  Divinity  stirs  in 
my  breast,  and  if  it  shows  itself  potent  in  me — " 

"How  easily  we  may  mistake  the  flattering  voice 
of  self-love  for  that  of  the  Divinity!" 

"  Cannot  the  Divinity  which  works  and  speaks  in 
me — as  in  thee — as  in  each  of  us — recognize  himself 
and  his  own  voice?" 

"  If  the  crowd  were  to  hear  you,"  Ameni  interrupted 
him,  "each  would  set  himself  on  his  little  throne, 
would  proclaim  the  voice  of  the  god  within  him  as 
his  guide,  tear  the  law  to  shreds,  and  let  the  frag- 
ments fly  to  the  desert  on  the  east  wind." 

"  I  am  one  of  the  elect  whom  thou  thyself  hast 
taught  to  seek  and  to  find  the  One.  The  light  which 
I  gaze  on  and  am  blest,  would  strike  the  crowd — I  do 
not  deny  it — with  blindness — " 

"And  nevertheless  you  blind  our  disciples  with  the 
dangerous  glare — " 

"I  am  educating  them  for  future  sages." 

"And  that  with  the  hot  overflow  of  a  heart  in- 
toxicated with  love!" 

"Ameni!" 

"I  stand  before  you,  uninvited,  as  your  teacher, 
who  reproves  you  out  of  the  law,  which  always 
and  everywhere  is  wiser  than  the  individual,  whose 
'defender'  the  king — among  his  highest  titles — boasts 
of  being,  and  to  which  the  sage  bows  as  much  as  the 
common  man  whom  we  bring  up  to  blind  belief — I 
stand  before  you  as  your  father,  who  has  loved  you 
from  a  child,  and  expected  from  none  of  his  disciples 
more  than  from  you;  and  who  will  therefore  neither 
lose  you  nor  abandon  the  hope  he  has  set  upon 
you — 


Il8  UARDA. 

"  Make  ready  to  leave  our  quiet  house  early  to- 
morrow morning.  You  have  forfeited  your  office  of 
teacher.  You  shall  now  go  into  the  school  of  life,  and 
make  yourself  fit  for  the  honored  rank  of  the  initiated 
which,  by  my  error,  was  bestowed  on  you  too  soon. 
You  must  leave  your  scholars  without  any  leave-tak- 
ing, however  hard  it  may  appear  to  you.  After  the 
star  of  Sothis*  has  risen  come  for  your  instructions. 
You  must  in  these  next  months  try  to  lead  the  priest- 
hood in  the  temple  of  Hatasu,  and  in  that  post  to 
win  back  my  confidence  which  you  have  thrown  away. 
No  remonstrance;  to-night  you  will  receive  my  bless- 
ing, and  our  authority — you  must  greet  the  rising  sun 
from  the  terrace  of  the  new  scene  of  your  labors. 
May  the  Unnameable  stamp  the  law  upon  your  soul!" 


Ameni  returned  to  his  room. 

He  walked  restlessly  to  and  fro. 

On  a  little  table  lay  a  mirror;  he  looked  into  the 
clear  metal  pane,  and  laid  it  back  in  its  place  again, 
as  if  he  had  seen  some  strange  and  displeasing  coun- 
tenance. 

The  events  of  the  last  few  hours  had  moved  him 
deeply,  and  shaken  his  confidence  in  his  unerring  judg- 
ment of  men  and  things. 

The  priests  on  the  other  bank  of  the  Nile  were 
Bent-Anat's  counsellors,  and  he  had  heard  the  princess 
spoken  of  as  a  devout  and  gifted  maiden.  Her  in- 
cautious breach  of  the  sacred  institutions  had  seemed 


UARDA.  119 

to  him  to  offer  a  welcome  opportunity  for  humiliating" 
a  member  of  the  royal  family. 

Now  he  told  himself  that  he  had  undervalued  this 
young  creature,  that  he  had  behaved  clumsily,  perhaps 
foolishly,  to  her;  for  he  did  not  for  a  moment  conceal 
from  himself  that  her  sudden  change  of  demeanor 
resulted  much  more  from  the  warm  flow  of  her  sym- 
pathy, or  perhaps  of  her  affection,  than  from  any 
recognition  of  her  guilt,  and  he  could  not  utilize  her 
transgression  with  safety  to  himself,  unless  she  felt  her- 
self guilty. 

Nor  was  he  of  so  great  a  nature  as  to  be  wholly 
free  from  vanity,  and  his  vanity  had  been  deeply 
wounded  by  the  haughty  resistance  of  the  princess. 

When  he  commanded  Pentaur  to  meet  the  princess 
with  words  of  reproof,  he  had  hoped  to  awaken  his 
ambition  through  the  proud  sense  of  power  over  the 
mighty  ones  of  the  earth. 

And  now? 

How  had  his  gifted  admirer,  the  most  hopeful  of 
all  his  disciples,  stood  the  test. 

The  one  ideal  of  his  life,  the  unlimited  dominion 
of  the  priestly  idea  over  the  minds  of  men,  and  of 
the  priesthood  over  the  king  himself,  had  hitherto 
remained  unintelligible  to  this  singular  young  man. 

He  must  learn  to  understand  it. 

"Here,  as  the  least  among  a  hundred  who  are  his 
superiors,  all  the  powers  of  resistance  of  his  soaring 
soul  have  been  roused,"  said  Ameni  to  himself.  "In 
the  temple  of  Hatasu  he  will  have  to  rule  over  the 
inferior  orders  of  slaughterers  of  victims  and  incense- 
burners;  and,  by  requiring  obedience,  will  learn  to 


120  UARDA. 

estimate  the  necessity  of  it.  The  rebel,  to  whom  a 
throne  devolves,  becomes  a  tyrant!" 

"  Pentuar's  poet  soul,"  so  he  continued  to  reflect 
"has  quickly  yielded  itself  a  prisoner  to  the  charm  of 
Bent-Anat;  and  what  woman  could  resist  this  highly- 
favored  being,  who  is  radiant  in  beauty  as  Ra-Har- 
machis,  and  from  whose  lips  flows  speech  as  sweet  as 
Techuti's.*  They  ought  never  to  meet  again,  for  no  tie 
must  bind  him  to  the  house  of  Rameses." 

Again  he  paced  to  and  fro,  and  murmured: 

"How  is  this?  Two  of  my  disciples  have  towered 
above  their  fellows,  in  genius  and  gifts,  like  palm  trees 
above  their  undergrowth.  I  brought  them  up  to  suc- 
ceed me,  to  inherit  my  labors  and  my  hopes. 

"Mesu**  fell  away;  and  Pentaur  may  follow  him. 

"  Must  my  aim  be  an  unworthy  one  because  it  does 
not  attract  the  noblest?  Not  so.  Each  feels  himself 
made  of  better  stuff  than  his  companions  in  destiny, 
constitutes  his  own  law,  and  fears  to  see  the  great  ex- 
pended in  trifles;  but  I  think  otherwise;  like  a  brook 
of  ferruginous  water  from  Lebanon,  I  mix  with  the 
great  stream,  and  tinge  it  with  my  color." 

Thinking  thus  Ameni  stood  still. 

Then  he  called  to  one  of  the  so-called  "holy  fathers," 
his  private  secretary,  and  said  : 

"  Draw  up  at  once  a  document,  to  be  sent  to  all  the 
priests'-colleges  in  the  land.  Inform  them  that  the 
daughter  of  Rameses  has  lapsed  seriously  from  the  law, 
and  denied  herself,  and  direct  that  public — you  hear 
Yi\Q  public — prayers  shall  be  put  up  for  her  purification 

*  Thoth-Hermes. 

**  Mesu  is  the  Egyptian  name  of  Moses,  whom  we  may  consider  as  a  con- 
temporary of  Rameses,  under  whose  successor  the  exodus  of  the  Jews  from 
Egypt  took  place. 


UARDA.  121 

in  every  temple.  Lay  the  letter  before  me  to  be  signed 
within  an  hour.  But  no !  Give  me  your  reed  and 
palette;  I  will  myself  draw  up  the  instructions." 

The  "  holy  father  "  gave  him  writing  materials,  and 
retired  into  the  background.  Ameni  muttered  :  "The 
King  will  do  us  some  unheard-of  violence  !  Well,  this 
writing  may  be  the  first  arrow  in  opposition  to  his  lance." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE  moon  was  risen  over  the  city  of  the  living  that 
lay  opposite  the  Necropolis  of  Thebes. 

The  evening  song  had  died  away  in  the  temples, 
that  stood  about  a  mile  from  the  Nile,  connected  with 
each  other  by  avenues  of  sphinxes  and  pylons ;  but  in 
the  streets  of  the  city  life  seemed  only  just  really  awake. 

The  coolness,  which  had  succeeded  the  heat  of  the 
summer  day,  tempted  the  citizens  out  into  the  air,  in 
front  of  their  doors  or  on  the  roofs  and  turrets  of  their 
nouses ;  or  at  the  tavern-tables,  where  they  listened  to 
the  tales  of  the  story-tellers  while  they  refreshed  them 
selves  with  beer,  wine,  and  the  sweet  juice  of  fruits. 
Many  simple  folks  squatted  in  circular  groups  on  the 
ground,  and  joined  in  the  burden  of  songs  which  were  led 
by  an  appointed  singer,  to  the  sound  of  a  tabor  and  flute. 

To  the  south  of  the  temple  of  Amon  stood  the 
king's  palace,  and  near  it,  in  more  or  less  extensive 
gardens,  rose  the  houses  of  the  magnates  of  the  king- 
dom, among  which,  one  was  distinguished  by  it  splendor 
and  extent. 

Paaker,  the  king's    pioneer,   had    caused    it    to    be 
erected  after  the  death  of  his  father,  in  the  place  of  the 
Q 


122  UARDA. 

more  homely  dwelling  of  his  ancestors,  when  he  hoped 
to  bring  home  his  cousin,  and  install  her  as  its  mistress. 

A  few  yards  further  to  the  east  was  another  stately 
though  older  and  less  splendid  house,  which  Mena, 
the  king's  charioteer,  had  inherited  from  his  father, 
and  which  was  inhabited  by  his  wife  Nefert  and  her 
mother  Katuti,  while  he  himself,  in  the  distant  Syrian 
land,  shared  the  tent  of  the  king,  as  being  his  body-guard. 

Before  the  door  of  each  house  stood  servants  bear- 
ing torches,  and  awaiting  the  long  deferred  return  home 
of  their  masters. 

The  gate,  which  gave  admission  to  Paaker's  plot  of 
ground  through  the  wall  which  surrounded  it,  was 
disproportionately,  almost  ostentatiously,  high  and  dec- 
orated with  various  paintings.  On  the  right  hand 
and  on  the  left,  two  cedar-trunks  were  erected  as  masts 
to  carry  standards ;  he  had  had  them  felled  for  the 
purpose  on  Lebanon,  and  forwarded  by  ship  to  Pelu- 
sium  on  the  north-east  coast  of  Egypt.  Thence  they 
were  conveyed  by  the  Nile  to  Thebes. 

On  passing  through  the  gate  one  entered  a  wide, 
paved  court-yard,*  at  the  sides  of  which  walks  ex- 
tended, closed  in  at  the  back,  and  with  roofs  supported 
on  slender  painted  wooden  columns.  Here  stood  the 
pioneer's  horses  and  chariots,  here  dwelt  his  slaves,  and 
here  the  necessary  store  of  produce  for  the  month's  re- 
quirements was  kept. 

*  The  Mohar's  heritage  is  described  from  the  beautiful  pictures  of  gardens 
and  houses  in  the  tombs  of  Tel  el  Amarna  (represented  in  l.epsius'  n  mumeiHs  of 
Ksypt. )  To  own  a  garden  was  considered  particularly  lucky.  In  he  Papyr 
IV.  from  Dulaq,  published  by  Marictte,  the  author  desires  to  sho 
earthly  possession  leads  to  satiety,  anil  chooses  as  an  example  the 
garden.  You  have,  he  says,  a  well-watered  piece  of  ground.  Vo 
rounded  your  garden  with  hedges,  and  planted  sycamores,  arrangi 
the  land  about  your  house.  You  can  fill  your  hand  with  all  the  flower  your  eyes 
behold,  yet  it  will  happen  that  you  will  finally  weary  of  them. 


UARDA.  123 

In  the  farther  wall  of  this  store-court  was  a  very 
high  doorway,  that  led  into  a  large  garden  with  rows 
of  well-tended  trees  and  trellised  vines,  clumps  of 
shrubs,  flowers,  and  beds  of  vegetables.  Palms,  syca- 
mores, and  acacia-trees,  figs,  pomegranates,  and  jasmine 
throve  here  particularly  well — for  Paaker's  mother,  Set- 
chem,  superintended  the  labors  of  the  gardeners;  and 
in  the  large  tank  in  the  midst  there  was  never  any 
lack  of  water  for  watering  the  beds  and  the  roots  of 
the  trees,  as  it  was  always  supplied  by  two  canals, 
into  which  wheels  turned  by  oxen  poured  water  day 
and  night  from  the  Nile-stream. 

On  the  right  side  of  this  plot  of  ground  rose  the 
one-storied  dwelling  house,  its  length  stretching  into 
distant  perspective,  as  it  consisted  of  a  single  row  of 
living  and  bedrooms.  Almost  every  room  had  its  own 
door,  that  opened  into  a  veranda  supported  by  colored 
wooden  columns,  and  which  extended  the  whole  length 
of  the  garden  side  of  the  house.  This  building  was 
joined  at  a  right  angle  by  a  row  of  store-rooms,  in 
which  the  garden-produce  in  fruits  and  vegetables,  the 
wine-jars,  and  the  possessions  of  the  house  in  woven 
stuffs,  skins,  leather,  and  other  property  were  kept. 

In  a  chamber  of  strong  masonry  lay  safely  locked  up 
the  vast  riches  accumulated  by  Paaker's  father  and  by 
himself,  in  gold  and  silver  rings,  vessels  and  figures  of 
beasts.  Nor  was  there  lack  of  bars  of  copper  and  of 
precious  stones,  particularly  of  lapis-lazuli  and  malachite. 

In  the  middle  of  the  garden  stood  a  handsomely 
decorated  kiosk,  and  a  chapel  with  images  of  the  Gods  ; 
in  the  background  stood  the  statues  of  Paaker's  ancestors 
in  the  form  of  Osiris  wrapped  in  mummy-cloths.*  The 

*  The  justified  dead  became  Osiris;  that  is  to  say,  attained  to  the  fullest 
union  (Henosis)  with  the  divinity.  The  Osiris-myth  has  been  restored  in  all 


124  UARDA. 

faces,  which  were  likenesses,  alone  distinguished  these 
statues  from  each  other. 

The  left  side  of  the  store-yard  was  veiled  in  gloom, 
yet  the  moonlight  revealed  numerous  dark  figures  clothed 
only  with  aprons,  the  slaves  of  the  king's  pioneer,  who 
squatted  on  the  ground  in  groups  of  five  or  six,  or  lay 
near  each  other  on  thin  mats  of  palm-bast,  their  hard  beds. 

Not  far  from  the  gate,  on  the  right  side  of  the  court, 
a  few  lamps  lighted  up  a  group  of  dusky  men,  the  of- 
ficers of  Paaker's  household,  who  wore  short,  shirt- 
shaped,  white  garments,  and  who  sat  on  a  carpet  round 
a  table  hardly  two  feet  high.  They  were  eating  their 
evening-meal,  consisting  of  a  roasted  antelope,  and  large 
flat  cakes  of  bread.  Slaves  waited  on  them,  and  filled 
their  earthen  beakers  with  yellow  beer.  The  steward 
cut  up  the  great  roast  on  the  table,  offered  the  intendant 
of  the  gardens  a  piece  of  antelope-leg,  and  said  :* 

its  parts  from  the  literary  remains  of  th-  Egyptians.  Plutarch  records  it  in  de- 
tail. Omitting  minor  matters  it  is  as  follows.  Fsis  and  Osiris  reigned  blissful 
and  benignant  in  the  Nile  valley;  Typhon  (Seth)  induced  Osiris  to  lay  himself 
in  a  chest,  locked  it  with  his  70  companions,  and  set  it  on  the  Nile,  which  carried 
it  north,  to  the  sea.  It  was  cast  on  shore  at  Byblos.  Isis  sought  it  lamenting, 
found  it,  and  brought  it  back  to  Egypt.  While  she  was  seeking  for  her  son 
Horns,  Typhon  found  the  body,  cut  it  into  fourteen  parts,  and  strewed  them 
throughout  the  land.  Horus  having  meanwhile  grown  up,  fights  with  Typhon, 
and  conquers  him,  and  restores  to  his  mother  her  husband,  and  to  his  father — 
who  during  his  apparent  death  had  continued  to  reign  in  the  under-world — his 
earthly  throne.  This  fanciful  myth  personified  not  only  the  cycle  of  the  vegeta- 
tive life  of  the  earth,  but  also  the  path  of  the  sun,  and  the  fate  of  the  human  soul. 
The  procreative  power  of  nature,  and  the  overflow  of  the  Nile  come  from  drought, 
the  light  of  the  sun  from  darkness  ;  man  passes  through  death  to  life,  the  prin- 
ciple of  good  comes  from  evil.  Truth  appears  to  be  destroyed  by  Lies  ;  yet  each 
triumphs  in  the  spring  (the  time  of  the  inundations) — in  the  morning — in  the 
other  world — or  in  the  day  of  retribution — as  Osiris  conquered  through  Horus. 

*  The  Greeks  and  Romans  report  that  the  Egyptians  were  so  addicted  to 
satire  and  pungent  witticisms,  that  they  would  hazard  property  and  life  to  gralify 
their  love  of  mockery.  The  scandalous  pictures  in  the  so-called  kiosk  of  Medinet 
Habu,  the  caricatures  in  an  indescribable  papyrus  at  Turin,  confirm  ihese  state- 
ments. There  is  a  noteworthy  passage  in  Flavins  Vopiscus,  that  compares  the 
Egyptians  to  the  French,  and  which  we  think  it  advisable  to  quote  here : 

"  Suntenim  Aegyptii,  lit  satis  nosti,  uin  uentosi  fiiribnndi  iactantes  iniuriosi 
atque  adeo  uani  liberi  nouarum  rerum  usque  ad  cantilenas  pnblicas  cupientes 
uersificatores  epigrammatarii  mathematici  haruspices  niedici.  Flav.  Vopiscus  ed. 
Peter  II.  p.  208,  c.  7." 


UARDA.  125 

"  My  arms  ache ;  the  mob  of  slaves  get  more  and 
more  dirty  and  refractory." 

"  I  notice  it  in  the  palm-trees,"  said  the  gardener, 
"  you  want  so  many  cudgels  that  their  crowns  will  soon 
be  as  bare  as  a  moulting  bird." 

"  We  should  do  as  the  master  does,"  said  the  head- 
groom,  "  and  get  sticks  of  ebony — they  last  a  hundred 
years." 

"At  any  rate  longer  than  men's  bones,"  laughed 
the  chief  neat-herd,  who  had  come  in  to  town  from 
the  pioneer's  country  estate,  bringing  with  him  animals 
for  sacrifices,  butter  and  cheese.  "  If  we  were  all  to 
follow  the  master's  example,  we  should  soon  have  none 
but  cripples  in  the  servant's  house." 

"  Out  there  lies  the  lad  whose  collar-bone  he 
broke  yesterday,"  said  the  steward,  "it  is  a  pity,  for 
he  was  a  clever  mat-plaiter.  The  old  lord  hit  softer." 

"  You  ought  to  know  !"  cried  a  small  voice,  that 
sounded  mockingly  behind  the  feasters. 

They  looked  and  laughed  when  they  recognized 
the  strange  guest,  who  had  approached  them  unob- 
served. 

The  new  comer  was  a  deformed  little  man  about 
as  big  as  a  five-year-old  boy,  with  a  big  head  and 
oldish  but  uncommonly  sharply-cut  features. 

The  noblest  Egyptians  kept  house-dwarfs  for  sport, 
and  this  little  wight  served  the  wife  of  Mena  in  this 
capacity.  He  was  called  Nemu,  or  "  the  dwarf,"  and 
his  sharp  tongue  made  him  much  feared,  though  he 
was  a  favorite,  for  he  passed  for  a  very  clever 
fellow  and  was  a  good  tale-teller. 

"  Make  room  for  me,  my  lords,"  said  the  little 
man.  "  I  take  very  little  room,  and  your  beer  and 


126  TJARDA. 

roast  is  in  little  danger  from  me,  for  my  maw  is  no 
bigger  than  a  fly's  head." 

"  But  your  gall  is  as  big  as  that  of  a  Nile-horse," 
cried  the  cook. 

"  It  grows,"  said  the  dwarf  laughing,  "  when  a 
turn-spit  and  spoon-wielder  like  you  turns  up.  There — 
I  will  sit  here." 

"  You  are  welcome,"  said  the  steward,  "  what  do 
you  bring  ?" 

"  Myself." 

"  Then  you  bring  nothing  great." 

"  Else  I  should  not  suit  you  either !"  retorted  the 
dwarf.  "  But  seriously,  my  lady  mother,  the  noble 
Katuti,  and  the  Regent,  who  just  now  is  visiting  us, 
sent  me  here  to  ask  you  whether  Paaker  is  not  yet 
returned.  He  accompanied  the  princess  and  Nefert 
to  the  City  of  the  Dead,  and  the  ladies  are  not  yet 
come  in.  We  begin  to  be  anxious,  for  it  is  already 
late." 

The  steward  looked  up  at  the  starry  sky  and 
said :  "  The  moon  is  already  tolerably  high,  and  my 
lord  meant  to  be  home  before  sun-down." 

"  The  meal  was  ready,"  sighed  the  cook.  "  I  shall 
have  to  go  to  work  again  if  he  does  not  remain  out 
all  night." 

"  How  should  he  ?"  asked  the  steward.  "  He  is 
with  the  princess  Bent-Anat." 

"And  my  mistress,"  added  the  dwarf. 

"  What  will  they  say  to  each  other,"  laughed  the 
gardener;  "  your  chief  litter-bearer  declared  that  yester- 
day on  the  way  to  the  City  of  the  Dead  they  did  not 
speak  a  word  to  each  other." 

"Can  you  blame  the  lord  if  he  is  angry  with  the 


UARDA.  127 

lady  who  was  betrothed  to  him,  and  then  was  wed  to 
another?  When  I  think  of  the  moment  when  he 
learnt  Nefert's  breach  of  faith  I  turn  hot  and  cold." 

"  Care  the  less  for  that,"  sneered  the  dwarf,  "  since 
you  must  be  hot  in  summer  and  cold  in  winter." 

"  It  is  not  evening  all  day,"  cried  the  head  groom. 
"  Paaker  never  forgets  an  injury,  and  we  shall  live  to 
see  him  pay  Mena — high  as  he  is- -for  the  affront 
he  has  offered  him. 

"  My  lady  Katuti,''  interrupted  Nemu,  "  stores  up 
the  arrears  of  her  son-in-law." 

"  Besides,  she  has  long  wished  to  renew  the  old 
friendship  with  your  house,  and  the  Regent  too 
preaches  peace.  Give  me  a  piece  of  bread,  steward. 
I  am  hungry !" 

"  The  sacks,  into  which  Mena's  arrears  flow,  seem 
to  be  empty,"  laughed  the  cook. 

"  Empty  !  empty  !  much  like  your  wit !"  answered 
the  dwarf.  "  Give  me  a  bit  of  roast  meat,  steward ; 
and  you  slaves  bring  me  a  drink  of  beer." 

"  You  just  now  said  your  maw  was  no  bigger  than 
a  fly's  head,"  cried  the  cook,  "  and  now  you  devour 
meat  like  the  crocodiles  in  the  sacred  tank  of  Seeland.* 
You  must  come  from  a  world  of  upside-down,  where 
the  men  are  as  small  as  flies,  and  the  flies  as  big  as 
the  giants  of  the  past." 

"  Yet,  I  might  be  much  bigger,"  mumbled  the 
dwarf  while  he  munched  on  unconcernedly,  "  perhaps 
as  big  as  your  spite  which  grudges  me  the  third  bit  of 
meat,  which  the  steward — may  Zefa**  bless  him  with 


*  The   modern  Fayonm,  where,   in   the   temple  of   the   God   Sebek,   sacred 
crocodiles  were  kept  and  decorated,  and  expensively  fed. 
**  Zefa,  the  goddess  of  the  inundation. 


128  UARDA. 

great  possessions ! — is  cutting  out  of  the  back  of  the 
antelope." 

"  There,  take  it,  you  glutton,  but  let  out  your  girdle," 
said  the  steward  laughing,  "  I  had  cut  the  slice  for 
myself,  and  admire  your  sharp  nose." 

"Ah  noses,"  said  the  dwarf,  "they  teach  the  know- 
ing better  than  any  haruspex  what  is  inside  a  man." 

"  How  is  that  ?"  cried  the  gardener. 

"Only  try  to  display  your  wisdom,"  laughed  the 
steward ;  for,  if  you  want  to  talk,  you  must  at  last 
leave  off  eating." 

"  The  two  may  be  combined,"  said  the  dwarf. 
"  Listen  then  !  A  hooked  nose,  which  I  compare  to  a 
vulture's  beak,  is  never  found  together  with  a  sub- 
missive spirit.  Think  of  the  Pharaoh  and  all  his 
haughty  race.  The  Regent,  on  the  contrary,  has  a 
straight,  well-shaped,  medium-sized  nose,  like  the 
statue  of  Amon  in  the  temple,  and  he  is  an  upright 
soul,  and  as  good  as  the  Gods.  He  is  neither  over- 
bearing nor  submissive  beyond  just  what  is  right ;  he 
holds  neither  with  the  great  nor  yet  with  the  mean, 
but  with  men  of  our  stamp.  There's  the  king 
for  us !" 

"A  king  of  noses!"  exclaimed  the  cook,  "I  prefer 
the  eagle  Rameses.  But  what  do  you  say  to  the  nose 
of  your  mistress  Nefert  ?" 

"  It  is  delicate  and  slender  and  moves  with  every 
thought  like  the  leaves  of  flowers  in  a  breath  of  wind, 
and  her  heart  is  exactly  like  it." 

"And  Paaker  ?"  asked  the  head  groom. 

"  He  has  a  large  short  nose  with  wide  open  nostrils. 
When  Seth  whirls  up  the  sand,  and  a  grain  of  it  flies 


UARDA.  129 

up  his  nose,  he  waxes  angry — so  it  is  Paaker's  nose, 
and  that  only,  which  is  answerable  for  all  your  blue 
bruises.  His  mother  Setchem,  the  sister  of  my  lady 
Katuti,  has  a  little  roundish  soft — " 

"  You  pigmy,"  cried  the  steward  interrupting  the 
speaker,  "  we  have  fed  you  and  let  you  abuse  people 
to  your  heart's  content,  but  if  you  wag  your  sharp 
tongue  against  our  mistress,  I  will  take  you  by  the 
girdle  and  fling  you  to  the  sky,  so  that  the  stars  may 
remain  sticking  to  your  crooked  hump." 

At  these  words  the  dwarf  rose,  turned  to  go,  and 
said  indifferently :  "  I  would  pick  the  stars  carefully 
off  my  back,  and  send  you  the  finest  of  the  planets 
in  return  for  your  juicy  bit  of  roast.  But  here  come 
the  chariots.  Farewell !  my  lords,  when  the  vulture's 
beak  seizes  one  of  you  and  carries  you  off  to  the  war 
in  Syria,  remember  the  words  of  the  little  Nemu  who 
knows  men  and  noses." 

The  pioneer's  chariot  rattled  through  the  high 
gates  into  the  court  of  his  house,  the  dogs  in  their 
leashes  howled  joyfully,  the  head  groom  hastened 
towards  Paaker  and  took  the  reins  in  his  charge,  the 
steward  accompanied  him,  and  the  head  cook  retired 
into  the  kitchen  to  make  ready  a  fresh  meal  for  his 
master. 

Before  Paaker  had  reached  the  garden-gate,  from 
the  pylon  of  the  enormous  temple  of  Amon,was  heard 
first  the  far-sounding  clang  of  hard-struck  plates  of 
brass,  and  then  the  many-voiced  chant  of  a  solemn 
hymn. 

The  Mohar  stood  still,  looked  up  to  heaven,  called 


130  UARDA. 

to  his  servants — "  The  divine  star  Sothis  is  risen !" 
threw  himself  on  the  earth,  and  lifted  his  arms  to- 
wards the  star  in  prayer. 

The  slaves  and  officers  immediately  followed  his 
example. 

No  circumstance  in  nature  remained  unobserved 
by  the  priestly  guides  of  the  Egyptian  people.  Every 
phenomenon  on  earth  or  in  the  starry  heavens  was 
greeted  by  them  as  the  manifestation  of  a  divinity, 
and  they  surrounded  the  life  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Nile-valley — from  morning  to  evening — from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  inundation  to  the  days  of  drought — with 
n  web  o-f  chants  and  sacrifices,  of  processions  and 
festivals,  which  inseparably  knit  the  human  individual 
to  the  Divinity  and  its  earthly  representatives  the 
priesthood. 

For  many  minutes  the  lord  and  his  servants  re- 
mained on  their  knees  in  silence,  their  eyes  fixed  on 
the  sacred  star,  and  listening  to  the  pious  chant  of 
the  priests. 

As  it  died  away  Paaker  rose.  All  around  him 
still  lay  on  the  earth ;  only  one  naked  figure,  strongly 
lighted  by  the  clear  moonlight,  stood  motionless  by  a 
pillar  near  the  slaves'  quarters. 

The  pioneer  gave  a  sign,  the  attendants  rose;  but 
Paaker  went  with  hasty  steps  to  the  man  who  had 
disdained  the  act  of  devotion,  which  he  had  so  earn- 
estly performed,  and  cried : 

"  Steward,  a  hundred  strokes  on  the  soles  of  the 
feet  of  this  scoffer.'' 

The  officer  thus  addressed  bowed  and  said  :  "  My 
lord,  the  surgeon  commanded  the  mat-weaver  not  to 


UARDA.  131 

move,  and  he  cannot  lift  his  arm.  He  is  suffering 
great  pain.  Thou  didst  break  his  collar-bone  yester- 
day." 

"  It  served  him  right !"  said  Paaker,  raising  his  voice 
so  much  that  the  injured  man  could  not  fail  to  hear  it. 
Then  he  turned  his  back  upon  him,  and  entered  the 
garden ;  here  he  called  the  chief  butler,  and  said :  "  Give 
the  slaves  beer  for  their  night  draught — to  all  of  them, 
and  plenty." 

A  few  minutes  later  he  stood  before  his  mother, 
whom  he  found  on  the  roof  of  the  house,  which  was 
decorated  with  leafy  plants,  just  as  she  gave  her  two- 
years'-old  grand  daughter,  the  child  of  her  youngest  son, 
into  the  arms  of  her  nurse,  that  she  might  take  her 
to  bed. 

Paaker  greeted  the  worthy  matron  with  reverence. 

She  was  a  woman  of  a  friendly,  homely  aspect ; 
several  little  dogs  were  fawning  at  her  feet.  Her  son 
put  aside  the  leaping  favorites  of  the  widow,  whom 
they  amused  through  many  long  hours  of  loneliness, 
and  turned  to  take  the  child  in  his  arms  from  those  of 
the  attendant.  But  the  little  one  struggled  with  such 
loud  cries,  and  could  not  be  pacified,  that  Paaker  set  it 
down  on  the  ground,  and  involuntarily  exclaimed: 

"  The  naughty  little  thing  !" 

"  She  has  been  sweet  and  good  the  whole  after- 
noon," said  his  mother  Setchem.  "  She  sees  you  so 
seldom." 

"  May  be,"  replied  Paaker;  "still  I  know  this — the 
dogs  love  me,  but  no  child  will  come  to  me." 

"  You  have  such  hard  hands." 

"  Take  the  squalling  brat  away,"  said  Paaker  to  the 
nurse.  "  Mother,  I  want  to  speak  to  you." 


132  TJARDA. 

Setchem  quieted  the  child,  gave  it  many  kisses,  and 
sent  it  to  bed ;  then  she  went  up  to  her  son,  stroked 
his  cheeks,  and  said  : 

"  If  the  little  one  were  your  own,  she  would  go  to 
you  at  once,  and  teach  you  that  a  child  is  the  greatest 
blessing  which  the  Gods  bestow  on  us  mortals." 

Paaker  smiled  and  said :  "  I  know  what  you  are 
aiming  at — but  leave  it  for  the  present,  for  I  have 
something  important  to  communicate  to  you." 

"  Well  ?"  asked  Setchem. 

"  To-day  for  the  first  time  since — you  know  when, 
I  have  spoken  to  Nefert.  The  past  may  be  forgotten. 
You  long  for  your  sister;  go  to  her,  I  have  nothing  more 
to  say  against  it." 

Setchem  looked  at  lier  son  with  undisguised  aston- 
ishment; her  eyes  which  easily  filled  with  tears,  now 
overflowed,  and  she  hesitatingly  asked :  "  Can  I  believe 
my  ears ;  child,  have  you  ? — " 

"  I  have  a  wish,"  said  Paakerfirmly, "  that  you  should 
krit  once  more  the  old  ties  of  affection  with  your  rela- 
tions; the  estrangement  has  lasted  long  enough." 

"  Much  too  long  !"    cried  Setchem. 

The  pioneer  looked  in  silence  at  the  ground,  and 
obeyed  his  mother's  sign  to  sit  down  beside  her. 

"  I  knew,"  she  said,  taking  his  hand,  "  that  this  day 
would  bring  us  joy ;  for  I  dreamt  of  your  father  in  Osiris, 
and  when  I  was  being  carried  to  the  temple,  I  was  met, 
first  by  a  white  cow,  and  then  by  a  wedding  procession. 
The  white  ram  of  Amon,  too,  touched  the  wheat-cakes 
that  I  offered  him."* 


*  It  boded  death  to  Germanicus  when  the  Apis  refused  to  eat  out  of  his 
hand. 


UARDA.  133 

"Those  are  lucky  presages,"  said  Paaker  in  a  tone 
of  conviction. 

"And  let  us  hasten  to  seize  with  gratitude  that 
which  the  Gods  set  before  us,"  cried  Setchem  with  joy- 
ful emotion.  "I  will  go  to-morrow  to  my  sister  and  tell 
her  that  we  shall  live  together  in  our  old  affection,  and 
share  both  good  and  evil;  we  are  both  of  the  same 
race,  and  I  know  that,  as  order  and  cleanliness  preserve 
a  house  from  ruin  and  rejoice  the  stranger,  so  nothing 
but  unity  can  keep  up  the  happiness  of  the  family  and 
its  appearance  before  people.  What  is  bygone  is  by- 
gone, and  let  it  be  forgotten.  There  are  many  women 
in  Thebes  besides  Nefert,  and  a  hundred  nobles  in  the 
land  would  esteem  themselves  happy  to  win  you  for  a 
son-in-law." 

Paaker  rose,  and  began  thoughtfully  pacing  the 
broad  space,  while  Setchem  went  on  speaking. 

"I  know,"  she  said,  "that  I  have  touched  a  wound 
in  thy  heart;  but  it  is  already  closing,  and  it  will  heal 
when  you  are  happier  even  than  the  charioteer  Mena, 
and  need  no  longer  hate  him.  Nefert  is  good,  but  she 
is  delicate  and  not  clever,  and  scarcely  equal  to  the 
management  of  so  large  a  household  as  ours.  Ere  long 
I  too  shall  be  wrapped  in  mummy-cloths,  and  then  if 
duty  calls  you  into  Syria  some  prudent  housewife  must 
take  my  place.  It  is  no  small  matter.  Your  grand- 
father Assa  often  would  say  that  a  house  well-conducted 
in  every  detail  was  a  mark  of  a  family  owning  an  un- 
spotted name,  and  living  with  wise  liberality  and  se- 
cure solidity,  in  which  each  had  his  assigned  place,  his 
allotted  duty  to  fulfil,  and  his  fixed  rights  to  demand. 
How  often  have  I  prayed  to  the  Hathors  that  they  may 
send  you  a  wife  after  my  own  heart." 


134  UARDA. 

"A  Setchem  I  shall  never  find!"  said  Paaker  kiss- 
ing his  mother's  forehead,  "women  of  your  sort  are  dy- 
ing out," 

"Flatterer!"  laughed  Setchem,  shaking  her  finger  at 
her  son.  But  it  is  true.  Those  who  are  now  growing 
up  dress  and  smarten  themselves  with  stuffs  from  Kaft,* 
mix  their  language  with  Syrian  words,  and  leave  the 
steward  and  housekeeper  free  when  they  themselves 
ought  to  command.  Even  my  sister  Katuti,  and  Ne- 
fert — 

"  Nefert  is  different  from  other  women,"  interrupted 
Paaker,  "and  if  you  had  brought  her  up  she  would 
know  how  to  manage  a  house  as  well  as  how  to  orna- 
ment it." 

Setchem  looked  at  her  son  in  surprise;  then  she 
said,  half  to  herself:  "Yes,  yes,  she  is  a  sweet  child;  it 
is  impossible  for  any  one  to  be  angry  with  her  who 
looks  into  her  eyes.  And  yet  I  was  cruel  to  her  be- 
cause you  were  hurt  by  her,  and  because — but  you 
know.  But  now  you  have  forgiven,  I  forgive  her, 
willingly;  her  and  her  husband." 

Paaker's  brow  clouded,  and  while  he  paused  in  front 
of  his  mother  he  said  with  all  the  peculiar  harshness  of 
his  voice : 

"  He  shall  pine  away  in  the  desert,  and  the  hyaenas 
of  the  North  shall  tear  his  unburied  corpse." 

At  these  words  Setchem  covered  her  face  with  her 
veil,  and  clasped  her  hands  tightly  over  the  amulets 
hanging  round  her  neck.  Then  she  said  softly: 

"How  terrible  you  can  be!  I  know  well  that  you 
hate  the  charioteer,  for  I  have  seen  the  seven  arrows 
over  your  couch  over  which  is  written  '  Death  to  Mena.* 

*  Phoenicia. 


UARDA.  135 

That  is  a  Syrian  charm  which  a  man  turns  against  any 
one  whom  he  desires  to  destroy.  How  black  you  look ! 
Yes,  it  is  a  charm  that  is  hateful  to  the  Gods,  and  that 
gives  the  evil  one  power  over  him  that  uses  it.  Leave 
it  to  them  to  punish  the  criminal,  for  Osiris  withdraws 
his  favor  from  those  who  choose  the  fiend  for  their 
ally." 

"My  sacrifices,"  replied  Paaker,  "secure  me  the 
favor  of  the  Gods;  but  Mena  behaved  to  me  like  a 
vile  robber,  and  I  only  return  to  him  the  evil  that  be- 
longs to  him.  Enough  of  this!  and  if  you  love  me,  never 
again  utter  the  name  of  my  enemy  before  me.  I  have 
forgiven  Nefert  and  her  mother — that  may  satisfy 
you." 

Setchem  shook  her  head,  and  said :  "  What  will  it 
lead  to !  The  war  cannot  last  for  ever,  and  if  Mena 
returns  the  reconciliation  of  to-day  will  turn  to  all  the 
more  bitter  enmity.  I  see  only  one  remedy.  Follow 
my  advice,  and  let  me  find  you  a  wife  worthy  of 
you." 

"  Not  now !"  exclaimed  Paaker  impatiently.  "  In  a 
few  days  I  must  go  again  into  the  enemy's  country,  and 
do  not  wish  to  leave  my  wife,  like  Mena,  to  lead  the 
life  of  a  widow  during  my  existence.  Why  urge  it  ? 
my  brother's  wife  and  children  are  with  you — that  might 
satisfy  you." 

"  The  Gods  know  how  I  love  them,"  answered  Set- 
chem ;  "  but  your  brother  Horns  is  the  younger,  and 
you  the  elder,  to  whom  the  inheritance  belongs.  Your 
little  niece  is  a  delightful  plaything,  but  in  your  son  I 
should  see  at  once  the  future  stay  of  our  race,  the  fu- 
ture head  of  the  family;  brought  up  to  my  mind  and 
your  father's ;  for  all  is  sacred  to  me  that  my  dead  hus-i 


136  UARDA. 

band  wished.  He  rejoiced  in  your  early  betrothal  to 
Nefert,  and  hoped  that  a  son  of  his  eldest  son  should 
continue  the  race  of  Assa." 

"It  shall  be  by  no  fault  of  mine  that  any  wish  of 
his  remains  unfulfilled.  The  stars  are  high,  mother; 
sleep  well,  and  if  to-morrow  you  visit  Nefert  and  your 
sister,  say  to  them  that  the  doors  of  my  house  are  open 
to  them.  But  stay!  Katuti's  steward  has  offered  to  sell 
a  herd  of  cattle  to  ours,  although  the  stock  on  Mena's 
land  can  be  but  small.  What  does  this  mean  ?" 

"  You  know  my  sister,"  replied  Setchem.  "  She 
manages  Mena's  possessions,  has  many  requirements, 
tries  to  vie  with  the  greatest  in  splendor,  sees  the 
governor  often  in  her  house,  her  son  is  no  doubt  ex- 
travagant— and  so  the  most  necessary  things  may  often 
be  wanting." 

Paaker  shrugged  his  shoulders,  once  more  embraced 
his  mother  and  left  her. 

Soon  after,  he  was  standing  in  the  spacious  room 
in  which  he  was  accustomed  to  sit  and  to  sleep  when 
he  w  ,s  in  Thebes.  The  walls  of  this  room  were  white- 
washed and  decorated  with  pious  sentences  in  hiero- 
glyphic writing,  which  framed  in  the  door  and  the 
windows  opening  into  the  garden. 

In  the  middle  of  the  farther  wall  was  a  couch  in 
the  form  of  a  lion.  The  upper  end  of  it  imitated  a 
lion's  head,  and  the  foot,  its  curling  tail ;  a  finely- 
dressed  lion's  skin  was  spread  over  the  bed,  and  a  head- 
iest of  ebony,  decorated  with  pious  texts,  stood  on  a 
high  foot-step,  ready  for  the  sleeper. 

Above  the  bed  various  costly  weapons  and  whips 
were  elegantly  displayed,  and  below  them  the  seven 
arrows  over  which  Setchem  had  read  the  words  "  Death 


UARDA.  137 

to  Mena."  They  were  written  across  a  sentence  which 
enjoined  feeding  the  hungry,  giving  drink  to  the  thirsty, 
and  clothing  the  naked;*  with  loving-kindness,  alike  to 
the  great  and  the  humble. 

A  niche  by  the  side  of  the  bed-head  was  closed 
with  a  curtain  of  purple  stuff. 

In  each  corner  of  the  room  stood  a  statue;  three  of 
them  symbolized  the  triad  of  Thebes — Amon,  Muth, 
and  Chunsu — and  the  fourth  the  dead  father  of  the 
pioneer.  In  front  of  each  was  a  small  altar  for  offerings, 
with  a  hollow  in  it,  in  which  was  an  odoriferous  essence. 
On  a  wooden  stand  were  little  images  of  the  Gods  and 
amulets  in  great  number,  and  in  several  painted  chests 
lay  the  clothes,  the  ornaments  and  the  papers  of  the 
master.  In  the  midst  of  the  chamber  stood  a  table  and 
several  stool-shaped  seats. 

When  Paaker  entered  the  room  he  found  it  lighted 
with  lamps,  and  a  large  dog  sprang  joyfully  to  meet 
him.  He  let  him  spring  upon  him,  threw  him  to  the 
ground,  let  him  once  more  rush  upon  him,  and  then 
kissed  his  clever  head. 

Before  his  bed  an  old  negro  of  powerful  build  lay 
in  deep  sleep.  Paaker  shoved  him  with  his  foot  and 
called  to  him  as  he  awoke — 

"  I  am  hungry." 

The  grey-headed  black  man  rose  slowly,  and  left 
the  room. 

As  soon  as  he  was  alone  Paaker  drew  the  philter  from 
his  girdle,  looked  at  it  tenderly,  and  put  it  in  a  box,  in 
which  there  were  several  flasks  of  holy  oils  for  sacrifice. 

He  was  accustomed  every  evening  to  fill  the  hol- 

*  A  command  frequently  repeated  in  the  Sacred  Writings,  and  often  found  in 
the  monuments  of  the  ancient  empire,  for  instance  at  Beni- Hassan  ^i2th  dynasty), 
ro 


138  UARDA. 

lows  in  the  altars  with  fresh  essences,  and  to  prostrate 
himself  in  prayer  before  the  images  of  the  Gods. 

To-day  he  stood  before  the  statue  of  his  father, 
kissed  its  feet,  and  murmured:  "Thy  will  shall  be 
done.  The  woman  whom  thou  didst  intend  for  me 
shall  indeed  be  mine — thy  eldest  son's." 

Then  he  walked  to  and  fro  and  thought  over  the 
events  of  the  day. 

At  last  he  stood  still,  with  his  arms  crossed,  and 
looked  defiantly  at  the  holy  images ;  like  a  traveller 
who  drives  away  a  false  guide,  and  thinks  to  find  the 
road  by  himself. 

His  eye  fell  on  the  arrows  over  his  bed ;  he  smiled, 
and  striking  his  broad  breast  with  his  fist,  he  ex- 
claimed, "I— I— I—" 

His  hound,  who  thought  his  master  meant  to  call 
him,  rushed  up  to  him.  He  pushed  him  off  and  said — 

"  If  you  meet  a  hyaena  in  the  desert,  you  fall 
upon  it  without  waiting  till  it  is  touched  by  my  lance 
— and  if  the  Gods,  my  masters,  delay,  I  myself  will 
defend  my  right;  but  thou,"  he  continued  turning  to 
the  image  of  his  father,  "  thou  wilt  support  me." 

This  soliloquy  was  interrupted  by  the  slaves  who 
brought  in  his  meal. 

Paaker  glanced  at  the  various  dishes  which  the 
cook  had  prepared  for  him,  and  asked :  "  How  often 
shall  I  command  that  not  a  variety,  but  only  one  large 
dish  shall  be  dressed  for  me  ?  And  the  wine  ?" 

"  Thou  art  used  never  to  touch  it  ?"  answered  the 
old  negro. 

"  But  to-day  I  wish  for  some,"  said  the  pioneer. 
"  Bring  one  of  the  old  jars  of  red  wine  of  Kakem."* 

*  A  place   not  far  from    the   Pyramid   of  Saqqarah   in    the   Necropolis  of 


UARDA.  139 

The  slaves  looked  at  each  other  in  astonishment; 
the  wine  was  brought,  and  Paaker  emptied  beaker 
after  beaker.  When  the  servants  had  left  him,  the 
boldest  among  them  said :  "  Usually  the  master  eats 
like  a  lion,  and  drinks  like  a  midge,  but  to-day — " 

"  Hold  your  tongue !"  cried  his  companion,  "  and 
come  into  the  court,  for  Paaker  has  sent  us  out  beer. 
The  Hathors  must  have  met  him." 

The  occurrences  of  the  day  must  indeed  have 
taken  deep  hold  on  the  inmost  soul  of  the  pioneer; 
for  he,  the  most  sober  of  all  the  warriors  of  Rameses, 
to  whom  intoxication  was  unknown,  and  who  avoided 
the  banquets  of  his  associates — now  sat  at  the  mid- 
night hours,  alone  at  his  table,  and  toped  till  his 
weary  head  grew  heavy. 

He  collected  himself,  went  towards  his  couch  and 
drew  the  curtain  which  concealed  the  niche  at  the 
head  of  the  bed.  A  female  figure,  with  the  head-dress 
and  attributes  of  the  Goddess  Hathor,  made  of  painted 
limestone,  revealed  itself. 

Her  countenance  had  the  features  of  the  wife  of 
Mena. 

The  king,  four  years  since,  had  ordered  a  sculptor 
to  execute  a  sacred  image  with  the  lovely  features 
of  the  newly-married  bride  of  his  charioteer,  and 
Paaker  had  succeeded  in  having  a  duplicate  made. 

He  now  knelt  down  on  the  couch,  gazed  on  the 
image  with  moist  eyes,  looked  cautiously  around  to 
see  if  he  was  alone,  leaned  forward,  pressed  a  kiss  to 
the  delicate,  cold  stone  lips;  laid  down  and  went  to 

Memphis,  where,  even  in  remote  times,  there  must  have  been  a  wine-press,  AS 
the  red  wine  of  Kakem  (Kochome  ?)  is  often  mentioned. 


140  UARDA. 

sleep  without  undressing  himself,  and  leaving  the  lamps 
to  burn  themselves  out. 

Restless  dreams  disturbed  his  spirit,  and  when  the 
dawn  grew  grey,  he  screamed  out,  tormented  by  a 
hideous  vision,  so  pitifully,  that  the  old  negro,  who 
had  laid  himself  near  the  dog  at  the  foot  of  his  bed, 
sprang  up  alarmed,  and  while  the  dog  howled,  called 
him  by  his  name  to  wake  him. 

Paaker  awoke  with  a  dull  head-ache.  The  vision 
which  had  tormented  him  stood  vividly  before  his  mind, 
and  he  endeavored  to  retain  it  that  he  might  sum- 
mon a  haruspex  to  interpret  it.  After  the  morbid 
fancies  of  the  preceding  evening  he  felt  sad  and  de- 
pressed. 

The  morning-hymn  rang  into  his  room  with  a 
warning  voice  from  the  temple  of  Amon ;  he  cast  off 
evil  thoughts,  and  resolved  once  more  to  resign  the 
conduct  of  his  fate  to  the  Gods,  and  to  renounce  all 
the  arts  of  magic. 

As  he  was  accustomed,  he  got  into  the  bath  that 
was  ready  for  him.  While  splashing  in  the  tepid  water 
he  thought  with  ever  increasing  eagerness  of  Nefert 
and  of  the  philter  which  at  first  he  had  meant  not  to 
offer  to  her,  but  which  actually  was  given  to  her  by 
his  hand,  and  which  might  by  this  time  have  begun 
to  exercise  its  charm. 

Love  placed  rosy  pictures — hatred  set  blood-red 
images  before  his  eyes.  He  strove  to  free  himself  from 
the  temptations,  which  more  and  more  tightly  closed  in 
upon  him,  but  it  was  with  him  as  with  a  man  who  has 
fallen  into  a  bog,  who,  the  more  vehemently  he  tries 
to  escape  from  the  mire,  sinks  the  deeper. 

As  the  sun  rose,  so  rose  his  vital  energy  and  his 


UARDA.  141 

self-confidence,  and  when  he  prepared  to  quit  his 
dwelling,  in  his  most  costly  clothing,  he  had  arrived 
once  more  at  the  decision  of  the  night  before,  and  had 
again  resolved  to  fight  for  his  purpose,  without — and 
if  need  were — against  the  Gods. 

The  Mohar  had  chosen  his  road,  and  he  never 
turned  back  when  once  he  had  begun  a  journey. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

IT  was  noon :  the  rays  of  the  sun  found  no  way 
into  the  narrow  shady  streets  of  the  city  of  Thebes, 
but  they  blazed  with  scorching  heat  on  the  broad 
dyke-road  which"  led  to  the  king's  castle,  and  which  at 
this  hour  was  usually  almost  deserted. 

To-day  it  was  thronged  with  foot-passengers  and 
chariots,  with  riders  and  litter-bearers. 

Here  and  there  negroes  poured  water  on  the  road 
out  of  skins,  but  the  dust  was  so  deep,  that,  in  spite 
of  this,  it  shrouded  the  streets  and  the  passengers  in  a 
dry  cloud,  which  extended  not  only  over  the  city,  but 
down  to  the  harbor  where  the  boats  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  Necropolis  landed  their  freight. 

The  city  of  the  Pharaohs  was  in  unwonted  agita- 
tion, for  the  storm-swift  breath  of  rumor  had  spread 
some  news  which  excited  both  alarm  and  hope  in  the 
huts  of  the  poor  as  well  as  in  the  palaces  of  the 
great. 

In  the  early  morning  three  mounted  messengers 
nad  arrived  from  the  king's  camp  with  heavy  letter-* 
bags,  and  had  dismounted  at  the  Regent's  palace. 

*  The    Egyptians  were  great  letter-writers,  and  many  of  their  letters  have 


142  UARDA. 

As  after  a  long  drought  the  inhabitants  of  a  village 
gaze  up  at  the  black  thunder-cloud  that  gathers  above 
their  heads  promising  the  refreshing"  rain — but  that 
may  also  send  the  kindling  lightning-flash  or  the  destroy- 
ing hail-storm — so  the  hopes  and  the  fears  of  the 
citizens  were  centred  on  the  news  which  came  but 
rarely  and  at  irregular  intervals  from  the  scene  of 
war;  for  there  was  scarcely  a  house  in  the  huge  city 
which  had  not  sent  a  father,  a  son,  or  a  relative  to 
the  fighting  hosts  of  the  king  in  the  distant  north- 
east. 

And  though  the  couriers  from  the  camp  were 
much  oftener  the  heralds  of  tears  than  of  joy ;  though 
the  written  rolls  which  they  brought  'told  more  often 
of  death  and  wounds  than  of  promotion,  royal  favors, 
and  conquered  spoil,  yet  they  were  expected  with  soul- 
felt  longing  and  received  with  shouts  of  joy. 

Great  and  small  hurried  after  their  arrival  to  the 
Regent's  palace,  and  the  scribes — who  distributed 
the  letters  and  read  the  news  which  was  intended 
for  public  communication,  and  the  lists  of  those 
who  had  fallen  or  perished — were  closely  besieged 
with  enquirers. 

Man  has  nothing  harder  to  endure  than  uncer- 
tainty, and  generally,  when  in  suspense,  looks  forward 
to  bad  rather  than  to  good  news.  And  the  bearers  of 
ill  ride  faster  than  the  messengers  of  weal. 

The  Regent  Ani  resided  in  a  building  adjoining 
the  king's  palace.  His  business-quarters  surrounded 

come  down  to  us,  they  also  had  established  postmen,  and  had  a  word  for 
them  in  their  language  "fai  chat."  Maspero  has  treated^the  matter  extremely 
well  in  his  paper  "du  genre  epistolaire  chez  les  anciens  Egyptiens  de  1'epoque 
Pharaomque." 


UARDA.  143 

an  immensely  wide  court,  and  consisted  of  a  great 
number  of  rooms  opening  on  to  this  court,  in  which 
numerous  scribes  worked  with  their  chief.  On  the 
farther  side  was  a  large,  veranda-like  hall  open  at  the 
front,  with  a  roof  supported  by  pillars. 

Here  Ani  was  accustomed  to  hold  courts  of  justice, 
and  to  receive  officers,  messengers,  and  petitioners. 

To-day  he  sat,  visible  to  all  comers,  on  a  costly 
throne  in  this  hall,  surrounded  by  his  numerous  fol- 
lowers, and  overlooking  the  crowd  of  people  whom  the 
guardians  of  the  peace*  guided  with  long  staves,  ad- 
mitting them  in  troops  into  the  court  of  the  "  High 
Gate,"  and  then  again  conducting  them  out. 

What  he  saw  and  heard  was  nothing  joyful,  for 
from  each  group  surrounding  a  scribe  arose  a  cry  of 
woe.  Few  and  far  between  were  those  who  had  to 
tell  of  the  rich  booty  that  had  fallen  to  their  friends. 

An  invisible  web  woven  of  wailing  and  tears 
seemed  to  envelope  the  assembly. 

Here  men  were  lamenting  and  casting  dust  upon 
their  heads,  there  women  were  rending  their  clothes, 
shrieking  loudly,  and  crying  as  they  waved  their  veils: 
"oh,  my  husband!  oh,  my  father!  oh,  my  brother!" 

Parents  who  had  received  the  news  of  the  death  of 
their  son  fell  on  each  other's  neck  weeping;  old  men 
plucked  out  their  grey  hair  and  beard ;  young  women 
beat  their  forehead  and  breast,  or  implored  the  scribes 
who  read  out  the  lists  to  let  them  see  for  themselves 
the  name  of  the  beloved  one  who  was  for  ever  torn 
from  them. 

The  passionate  stirring  of  a  soul,  whether  it  be  the 
result  of  joy  or  of  sorrow,  among  us  moderns  covers  its 

*  Presumably  a  kind  of  nolice. — Transl. 


144  UARDA. 

features  with  a  veil,  which  it  had  no  need  of  among 
the  ancients. 

Where  the  loudest  laments  sounded,  a  restless  little 
being  might  be  seen  hurrying  from  group  to  group ;  it 
was  Nemu,  Katuti's  dwarf,  whom  we  know. 

Now  he  stood  near  a  woman  of  the  better  class, 
dissolved  in  tears  because  her  husband  had  fallen  in 
the  last  battle. 

" Can  you  read  ?"  he  asked  her;  "up  there  on  the 
architrave  is  the  name  of  Rameses,  with  all  his  titles. 
'  Dispenser  of  life,' he  is  called.  Aye  indeed;  he  can 
create — widows ;  for  he  has  all  the  husbands  killed." 

Before  the  astonished  woman  could  reply,  he  stood 
by  a  man  sunk  in  woe,  and  pulling  his  robe,  said: 
"  Finer  fellows  than  your  son  have  never  been  seen  in 
Thebes.  Let  your  youngest  starve,  or  beat  him  to  a 
cripple,  else  he  also  will  be  dragged  off  to  Syria;  for 
Rameses  needs  much  good  Egyptian  meat  for  the 
Syrian  vultures." 

The  old  man,  who  had  hitherto  stood  there  in 
silent  despair,  clenched  his  fist.  The  dwarf  pointed 
to  the  Regent,  and  said:  "If  he  there  wielded  the 
sceptre,  there  would  be  fewer  orphans  and  beggars  by 
the  Nile.  To-day  its  sacred  waters  are  still  sweet, 
but  soon  it  will  taste  as  salt  as  the  north  sea  with  all 
the  tears  that  have  been  shed  on  its  banks." 

It  almost  seemed  as  if  the  Regent  had  heard 
these  words,  for  he  rose  from  his  seat  and  lifted  his 
hands  like  a  man  who  is  lamenting. 

Many  of  the  bystanders  observed  this  action ;  and 
loud  cries  of  anguish  filled  the  wide  courtyard,  which 
was  soon  cleared  by  soldiers  to  make  room  for  other 
troops  of  people  who  were  thronging  in. 


UARDA.  145 

While  these  gathered  round  the  scribes,  the  Regent 
Ani  sat  with  quiet  dignity  on  the  throne,  surrounded 
by  his  suite  and  his  secretaries,  and  held  audiences. 

He  was  a  man  at  the  close  of  his  fortieth  year 
and  the  favorite  cousin  of  the  king. 

Rameses  I.,  the  grandfather  of  the  reigning  monarch, 
had  deposed  the  legitimate  royal  family,  and  usurped 
the  sceptre  of  the  Pharaohs.  He  descended  from  a 
Semitic  race  who  had  remained  in  Egypt  at  the  time 
of  the  expulsion  of  the  Hyksos,*  and  had  distinguished 
itself  by  warlike  talents  under  Thotmes  and  Ameno- 
phis.  After  his  death  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Seti,  who  sought  to  earn  a  legitimate  claim  to  the 
throne  by  marrying  Tuaa,  the  grand-daughter  of  Ameno- 
phis  III.  She  presented  him  with  an  only  son,  whom 
he  named  after  his  father  Rameses.  This  prince  might 
lay  claim  to  perfect  legitimacy  through  his  mother, 
who  descended  directly  from  the  old  house  of  sover- 
eigns ;  for  in  Egypt  a  noble  family — even  that  of  the 
Pharaohs — might  be  perpetuated  through  women. 

Seti  proclaimed  Rameses**  partner  of  his  throne, 
so  as  to  remove  all  doubt  as  to  the  validity  of  his  posi- 
tion. The  young  nephew  of  his  wife  Tuaa,  the  Regent 
Ani,  who  was  a  few  years  younger  than  Rameses,  he 
caused  to  be  brought  up  in  the  House  of  Seti,  and 
treated  him  like  his  own  son,  while  the  other,  members 


*  These  were  an  eastern  race  who  migrated  from  Asia  into  Egypt,  con- 
quered the  lower  Nile-valley,  and  ruled  over  it  for  nearly  500  years,  till  they 
were  driven  out  by  the  successors  of  the  old  legitimate  Pharaohs,  whose  domin- 
ion had  been  confined  to  upper  Egypt. 

**  Apparently  even  at  his  birth.  According  to  an  inscription  at  Abydos, 
published  by  Mariette,  and  first  interpreted  by  Maspero,  Rameses  boasts  of 
having  been  "  King  even  in  the  egg."  He  is  the  Sesostris  of  the  Greeks.  His 
surname  Sesesu-Ra  is  preserved  on  the  monuments.  When  the  Greeks  speak 
of  the  great  deeds  of  Sesostris,  they  include  those  of  Seti  and  Rameses. 


146  UARDA. 

of  the  dethroned  royal  family  were  robbed  of  their 
possessions  or  removed  altogether. 

Ani  proved  himself  a  faithful  servant  to  Seti,  and 
to  his  son,  and  was  trusted  as  a  brother  by  the  warlike 
and  magnanimous  Rameses,  who  however  never  dis- 
guised from  himself  the  fact  that  the  blood  in  his 
own  veins  was  less  purely  royal  than  that  which  flowed 
in  his  cousin's. 

It  was  required  of  the  race  of  the  Pharaohs  of 
Egypt  that  it  should  be  descended  from  the  Sun-god 
Ra,  and  the  Pharaoh  could  boast  of  this  high  descent 
only  through  his  mother — Ani  through  both  parents. 

But  Rameses  sat  on  the  throne,  held  the  sceptre 
with  a  strong  hand,  and  thirteen  young  sons  promised 
to  his  house  the  lordship  over  Egypt  to  all  eternity. 

When,  after  the  death  of  his  warlike  father,  he 
went  to  fresh  conquests  in  the  north,  he  appointed 
Ani,  who  had  proved  himself  worthy  as  governor  of 
the  province  of  Kush,*  to  the  regency  of  the  king- 
dom. 

A  vehement  character  often  over  estimates  the  man 
who  is  endowed  with  a  quieter  temperament,  into 
whose  nature  he  cannot  throw  himself,  and  whose  ex- 
cellences he  is  unable  to  imitate ;  so  it  happened  that 
the  deliberate  and  passionless  nature  of  his  cousin 
impressed  the  fiery  and  warlike  Rameses. 

Ani  appeared  to  be  devoid  of  ambition,  or  the 
spirit  of  enterprise ;  he  accepted  the  dignity  that  was 
laid  upon  him  with  apparent  reluctance,  and  seemed 
a  particularly  safe  person,  because  he  had  lost  both 
wife  and  child,  and  could  boast  of  no  heir. 

He  was  a  man  of  more  than  middle  height;  his 

*  Ethiopia. 


UARDA.  147 

features  were  remarkably  regular— even  beautifully- 
cut,  but  smooth  and  with  little  expression.  His  clear 
blue  eyes  and  thin  lips  gave  no  evidence  of  the 
emotions  that  filled  his  heart;  on  the  contrary,  his 
countenance  wore  a  soft  smile  that  could  adapt  itself 
to  haughtiness,  to  humility,  and  to  a  variety  of  shades 
of  feeling,  but  which  could  never  be  entirely  banished 
from  his  face. 

He  had  listened  with  affable  condescension  to  the 
complaint  of  a  landed  proprietor,  whose  cattle  had 
been  driven  off  for  the  king's  army,  and  had  promised 
that  his  case  should  be  enquired  into.  The  plundered 
man  was  leaving  full  of  hope;  but  when  the  scribe 
who  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  Regent  enquired  to  whom 
the  investigation  of  this  encroachment  of  the  troops 
should  be  entrusted,  Ani  said  :  "  Each  one  must  bring  a 
victim  to  the  war ;  it  must  remain  among  the  things 
that  are  done,  and  cannot  be  undone." 

The  Nomarch*  of  Suan,  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  country,  asked  for  funds  for  a  necessary,  new  em- 
bankment. The  Regent  listened  to  his  eager  rep- 
resentation with  benevolence,  nay  with  expressions  of 
sympathy ;  but  assured  him  that  the  war  absorbed  all 
the  funds  of  the  state,  that  the  chests  were  empty; 
still  he  felt  inclined — even  if  they  had  not  failed — to 
sacrifice  a  part  of  his  own  income  to  preserve  the 
endangered  arable  land  of  his  faithful  province  of 
Suan,  to  which  he  desired  greeting. 

As  soon  as  the  Nomarch  had  left  him,  he  com- 
manded that  a  considerable  sum  should  be  taken  out 
of  the  Treasury,  and  sent  after  the  petitioner. 

From  time  to  time  in  the  middle  of  conversation, 

*  Chief  of  a  Nome  or  district. 


148  UARDA. 

he  arose,  and  made  a  gesture  of  lamentation,  to  show 
to  the  assembled  mourners  in  the  court  that  he  sym- 
pathized in  the  losses  which  had  fallen  on  them. 

The  sun  had  already  passed  the  meridian,  when 
a  disturbance,  accompanied  by  loud  cries,  took  pos- 
session of  the  masses  of  people,  who  stood  round  the 
scribes  in  the  palace  court. 

Many  men  and  women  were  streaming  together 
towards  one  spot,  and  even  the  most  impassive  of  the 
Thebans  present  turned  their  attention  to  an  incident 
so  unusual  in  this  place. 

A  detachment  of  constabulary  made  a  way  through 
the  crushing  and  yelling  mob,  and  another  division  of 
Lybian  police  led  a  prisoner  towards  a  side  gate  of 
the  court.  Before  they  could  reach  it,  a  messenger 
came  up  with  them,  from  the  Regent,  who  desired  to 
be  informed  as  to  what  happened. 

The  head  of  the  officers  of  public  safety  followed 
him,  and  with  eager  excitement  informed  Ani,  who 
was  waiting  for  him,  that  a  tiny  man,  the  dwarf  of 
the  Lady  Katuti,  had  for  several  hours  been  going 
about  in  the  court,  and  endeavoring  to  poison  the 
minds  of  the  citizens  with  seditious  speeches. 

Ani  ordered  that  the  misguided  man  should  be 
thrown  into  the  dungeon;  but  so  soon  as  the  chief 
officer  had  left  him,  he  commanded  his  secretary  to 
have  the  dwarf  brought  into  his  presence  before  sun- 
down. 

While  he  was  giving  this  order  an  excitement  of 
another  kind  seized  the  assembled  multitude. 

As  the  sea  parted  and  stood  on  the  right  hand 
and  on  the  left  of  the  Hebrews,  so  that  no  wave  wetted 
the  foot  of  the  pursued  fugitives,  so  the  crowd  of 


UARDA.  149 

people  of  their  own  free  will,  but  as  if  in  reverent  sub- 
mission to  some  high  command,  parted  and  formed  a 
broad  way,  through  which  walked  the  high-priest  of 
the  House  of  Seti,  as,  full  robed  and  accompanied  by 
some  of  the  "  holy  fathers,"  he  now  entered  the  court. 

The  Regent  went  to  meet  him,  bowed  before  him, 
and  then  withdrew  to  the  back  of  the  hall  with  him  alone. 

"  It  is  nevertheless  incredible,"  said  Ameni,  "  that 
our  serfs  are  to  follow  the  militia !" 

"  Rameses  requires  soldiers — to  conquer,"  replied 
the  Regent. 

"  And  we  bread — to  live,"  exclaimed  the  priest. 

"  Nevertheless  I  am  commanded,  at  once,  before  the 
seed-time,  to  levy  the  temple-serfs.  I  regret  the  order, 
but  the  king  is  the  will,  and  I  am  only  the  hand." 

"  The  hand,  which  he  makes  use  of  to  sequester 
ancient  rights,  and  to  open  a  way  to  the  desert  over 
the  fruitful  land."* 

"  Your  acres  will  not  long  remain  unprovided  for. 
Rameses  will  win  new  victories  with  the  increased  army, 
and  the  help  of  the  Gods." 

"  The  Gods !  whom  he  insults  !" 

"  After  the  conclusion  of  peace  he  will  reconcile  the 
Gods  by  doubly  rich  gifts.  He  hopes  confidently  for  an 
early  end  to  the  war,  and  writes  to  me  that  after  the  next 
battle  he  wins  he  intends  to  offer  terms  to  the  Cheta.  A 
plan  of  the  king's  is  also  spoken  of — to  marry  again, 
and,  indeed,  the  daughter  of  the  Cheta  King  Chetasar." 

Up  to  this  moment  the  Regent  had  kept  his  eyes 
cast  down.  Now  he  raised  them,  smiling,  as  if  he 
would  fain  enjoy  Ameni's  satisfaction,  and  asked  : 

*  "  With  good  management,"  said  the  first  Napoleon,  "  the  Nile  encroaches 
upon  the  desert,  with  bad  management  the  desert  encroaches  upon  the  Nile." 


150  UARDA. 

"  What  dost  thou  say  to  this  project  ?" 

"  I  say,"  returned  Ameni,  and  his  voice,  usually  so 
stern,  took  a  tone  of  amusement,  "  I  say  that  Rameses 
seems  to  think  that  the  blood  of  thy  cousin  and  of 
his  mother,  which  gives  him  his  right  to  the  throne,  is 
incapable  of  pollution." 

"  It  is  the  blood  of  the  Sun-god !" 

"  Which  runs  but  half  pure  in  his  veins,  but  wholly 
pure  in  thine." 

The  Regent  made  a  deprecatory  gesture,  and 
said  softly,  with  a  smile  which  resembled  that  of  a 
dead  man : 

"  We  are  not  alone." 

"  No  one  is  here,"  said  Ameni,  "  who  can  hear  us ; 
and  what  I  say  is  known  to  every  child." 

"  But  if  it  came  to  the  king's  ears — "  whispered 
Ani,  "  he — " 

"  He  would  perceive  how  unwise  it  is  to  derogate 
from  the  ancient  rights  of  those  on  whom  it  is  incum- 
bent to  prove  the  purity  of  blood  of  the  sovereign  of 
this  land.  However,  Rameses  sits  on  the  throne;  may 
life  bloom  for  him,  with  health  and  strength  !"* 

The  Regent  bowed,  and  then  asked : 

"  Do  you  propose  to  obey  the  demand  of  the  Pha- 
raoh without  delay  ?" 

"  He  is  the  king.  Our  council,  which  will  meet  in 
a  few  days,  can  only  determine  how,  and  not  whether 
we  shall  fulfil  his  command." 

"  You  will  retard  the  departure  of  the  serfs,  and 
Rameses  requires  them  at  once.  The  bloody  labor 
of  the  war  demands  new  tools." 

*  A  formula  which  even  in  private  letters  constantly  follows  the  name  of 
the  Pharaoh. 


UARDA.  151 

"  And  the  peace  will  perhaps  demand  a  new  master, 
who  understands  how  to  employ  the  sons  of  the  land 
to  its  greatest  advantage — a  genuine  son  of  Ra." 

The  Regent  stood  opposite  the  high-priest,  mo- 
tionless as  an  image  cast  in  bronze,  and  remained 
silent ;  but  Ameni  lowered  his  staff  before  him  as  be- 
fore a  god,  and  then  went  into  the  fore  part  of  the  hall. 

When  Ani  followed  him,  a  soft  smile  played  as 
usual  upon  his  countenance,  and  full  of  dignity  he  took 
his  seat  on  the  throne. 

"  Art  thou  at  an  end  of  thy  communications  ?"  he 
asked  the  high-priest. 

"  It  remains  for  me  to  inform  you  all,"  replied  Ameni 
with  a  louder  voice,  to  be  heard  by  all  the  assembled 
dignitaries,  "  that  the  princess  Bent-Anat  yesterday 
morning  committed  a  heavy  sin,  and  that  in  all  the 
temples  in  the  land  the  Gods  shall  be  entreated  with 
offerings  to  take  her  uncleanness  from  her." 

Again  a  shadow  passed  over  the  smile  on  the 
Regent's  countenance.  He  looked  meditatively  on  the 
ground,  and  then  said : 

"To-morrow  I  will  visit  the  House  of Seti;  till  then 
I  beg  that  this  affair  may  be  left  to  rest." 

Ameni  bowed,  and  the  Regent  left  the  hall  to 
withdraw  to  a  wing  of  the  king's  palace,  in  which  he 
dwelt. 

On  his  writing-table  lay  sealed  papers.  He  knew 
that  they  contained  important  news  for  him;  but  he 
loved  to  do  violence  to  his  curiosity,  to  test  his  resolu- 
tion, and  like  an  epicure  to  reserve  the  best  dish  till 
the  last. 

He  now  glanced  first  at  some  unimportant  letters. 

A  dumb  negro,  who  squatted  at  his  feet,  burned  the 


152  UARDA. 

papyrus  rolls  which  his  master  gave  him  in  a  brazier. 
A  secretary  made  notes  of  the  short  facts  which  Ani 
called  out  to  him,  and  the  ground  work  was  laid  of 
the  answers  to  the  different  letters. 

At  a  sign  from  his  master  this  functionary  quitted 
the  room,  and  Ani  then  slowly  opened  a  letter 
from  the  king,  whose  address :  "  To  my  brother  Ani," 
showed  that  it  contained,  not  public,  but  private  in- 
formation. 

On  these  lines,  as  he  well  knew,  hung  his  future 
life,  and  the  road  it  should  follow. 

With  a  smile,  that  was  meant  to  conceal  even  from 
himself  his  deep  inward  agitation,  he  broke  the  wax 
which  sealed  the  short  manuscript  in  the  royal  hand. 

-  "  What  relates  to  Egypt,  and  my  concern  for  my 
country,  and  the  happy  issue  of  the  war,"  wrote  the 
Pharaoh,  "  I  have  written  to  you  by  the  hand  of  my 
secretary;  but  these  words  are  for  the  brother,  who 
desires  to  be  my  son,  and  I  write  to  him  myself.  The 
lordly  essence  of  the  Divinity  which  dwells  in  me, 
readily  brings  a  quick  '  Yes '  or  '  No '  to  my  lips,  and  it 
decides  for  the  best.  Now  you  demand  my  daughter 
Bent-Anat  to  wife,  and  I  should  not  be  Rameses  if  I 
did  not  freely  confess  that  before  I  had  read  the  last 
words  of  your  letter,  a  vehement  '  No '  rushed  to  my 
lips.  I  caused  the  stars  to  be  consulted,  and  the  entrails 
of  the  victims  to  be  examined,  and  they  were  adverse 
to  your  request;  and  yet  I  could  not  refuse  you,  for 
you  are  dear  to  me,  and  your  blood  is  royal  as  my 
own.  Even  more  royal,  an  old  friend  said,  and  warned 
me  against  your  ambition  and  your  exaltation.  Then 
my  heart  changed,  for  I  were  not  Seti's  son  if  I  allow 
myself  to  injure  a  friend  through  idle  apprehensions; 


UARDA.  153 

and  he  who  stands  so  high  that  men  fear  that  he  may 
try  to  rise  above  Rameses,  seems  to  me  to  be  worthy 
of  Bent-Anat.  Woo  her,  and,  should  she  consent  freely, 
the  marriage  may  be  celebrated  on  the  day  when  I 
return  home.  You  are  young  enough  to  make  a  wife 
happy,  and  your  mature  wisdom  will  guard  my  child 
from  misfortune.  Bent-Anat  shall  know  that  her  father, 
and  king,  encourages  your  suit;  but  pray  too  to  the 
Hathors,  that  they  may  influence  Bent-Anat's  heart  in 
your  favor,  for  to  her  decision  we  must  both  submit." 

The  Regent  had  changed  color  several  times 
while  reading  this  letter.  Now  he  laid  it  on  the 
table  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  stood  up,  clasped 
his  hand  behind  him,  and,  with  his  eyes  cast  medita- 
tively on  the  floor,  leaned  against  one  of  the  pillars 
which  supported  the  beams  of  the  roof. 

The  longer  he  thought,  the  less  amiable  his  ex- 
pression became.  "A  pill  sweetened  with  honey,*  such 
as  they  give  to  women,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  Then 
he  went  back  to  the  table,  read  the  king's  letter  through 
once  more,  and  said :  "  One  may  learn  from  it  how  to 
deny  by  granting,  and  at  the  same  time  not  to  forget 
to  give  it  a  brilliant  show  of  magnanimity.  Rameses 
knows  his  daughter.  She  is  a  girl  like  any  other,  and 
will  take  good  care  not  to  choose  a  man  twice  as  old 
as  herself,  and  who  might  be  her  father.  Rameses 
will  '  submit ' — I  am  to  '  submit !'  And  to  what  ?  to  the 
judgment  and  the  choice  of  a  wilful  child !" 

With  these  words  he  threw  the  letter  so  vehe- 
mently on  to  the  table,  that  it  slipped  off  on  to  the 
floor. 

*  Two  recipes  for  pills  are  found  in  the  papyri,  one  with  honey  for  women, 
and  one  without  for  men. 


154  UARDA. 

The  mute  slave  picked  it  up,  and  laid  it  carefully 
on  the  table  again,  while  his  master  threw  a  ball  into 
a  silver  bason. 

Several  attendants  rushed  into  the  room,  and  Ani 
ordered  them  to  bring  to  him  the  captive  dwarf  of  the 
Lady  Katuti.  His  soul  rose  in  indignation  against  the 
king,  who  in  his  remote  camp-tent  could  fancy  he  had 
made  him  happy  by  a  proof  of  his  highest  favor. 

When  we  are  plotting  against  a  man  we  are  in- 
clined to  regard  him  as  an  enemy,  and  if  he  offers  us 
a  rose  we  believe  it  to  be  for  the  sake,  not  of  the  per- 
fume, but  of  the  thorns. 

The  dwarf  Nemu  was  brought  before  the  Regent 
and  threw  himself  on  the  ground  at  his  feet. 

Ani  ordered  the  attendants  to  leave  him,  and  said 
to  the  little  man  : 

"  You  compelled  me  to  put  you  in  prison.  Stand  up  !" 

The  dwarf  rose  and  said,  "  Be  thanked — for  my 
arrest  too." 

The  Regent  looked  at  him  in  astonishment;  but 
Nemu  went  on  half  humbly,  half  in  fun,  "  I  feared  for 
my  life,  but  thou  hast  not  only  not  shortened  it,  but 
hast  prolonged  it ;  for  in  the  solitude  of  the  dungeon 
time  seemed  long,  and  the  minutes  grown  to  hours." 

"  Keep  your  wit  for  the  ladies,"  replied  the  Regent. 
"  Did  I  not  know  that  you  meant  well,  and  acted  in 
accordance  with  the  Lady  Katuti's  fancy,  I  would 
send  you  to  the  quarries." 

'•  My  hands,"  mumbled  the  dwarf,  "  could  only  break 
stones  for  a  game  of  draughts ;  but  my  tongue  is  like 
the  water,  which  makes  one  peasant  rich,  and  carries 
away  the  fields  of  another." 

"  We  shall  know  how  to  dam  it  up." 


UARDA.  155 

"  For  my  lady  and  for  thee  it  will  always  flow  the 
right  way,"  said  the  dwarf.  "  I  showed  the  complain- 
ing citizens  who  it  is  that  slaughters  their  flesh  and 
blood,  and  from  whom  to  look  for  peace  and  content. 
I  poured  caustic  into  their  wounds,  and  praised  the 
physician." 

"  But  unasked  and  recklessly,"  interrupted  Ani ; 
"  otherwise  you  have  shown  yourself  capable,  and  I 
am  willing  to  spare  you  for  a  future  time.  But  over- 
busy  friends  are  more  damaging  than  intelligent 
enemies.  When  I  need  your  services  I  will  call  for 
you.  Till  then  avoid  speech.  Now  go  to  your  mis- 
tress, and  carry  to  Katuti  this  letter  which  has  arrived 
for  her." 

"  Hail  to  Ani,  the  son  of  the  Sun  !"  cried  the  dwarf 
kissing  the  Regent's  foot.  "  Have  I  no  letter  to  carry 
to  my  mistress  Nefert  ?" 

"  Greet  her  from  me,"  replied  the  Regent.  "  Tell 
Katuti  I  will  visit  her  after  the  next  meal.  The  king's 
charioteer  has  not  written,  yet  I  hear  that  he  is  well. 
Go  now,  and  be  silent  and  discreet." 

The  dwarf  quitted  the  room,  and  Ani  went  into 
an  airy  hall,  in  which  his  luxurious  meal  was  laid  out, 
consisting  of  many  dishes  prepared  with  special  care. 
His  appetite  was  gone,  but  he  tasted  of  every  dish, 
and  gave  the  steward,  who  attended  on  him,  his  opinion 
of  each. 

Meanwhile  he  thought  of  the  king's  letter,  of  Bent- 
Anat,  and  whether  it  would  be  advisable  to  expose 
himself  to  a  rejection  on  her  part. 

After  the  meal  he  gave  himself  up  to  his  body- 
servant,  who  carefully  shaved,  painted,  dressed,  and 
decorated  him,  and  then  held  the  mirror  before  him. 


156  UARDA. 

He  considered  the  reflection  with  anxious  observation, 
and  when  he  seated  himself  in  his  litter  to  be  borne 
to  the  house  of  his  friend  Katuti,  he  said  to  himself 
that  he  still  might  claim  to  be  called  a  handsome 
man. 

If  he  paid  his  court  to  Bent-Anat — if  she  listened 
to  his  suit — what  then  ? 

He  would  refer  it  to  Katuti,  who  always  knew  how 
to  say  a  decisive  word  when  he,  entangled  in  a  hun- 
dred pros  and  cons,  feared  to  venture  on  a  final  step. 

By  her  advice  he  had  sought  to  wed  the  prin- 
cess, as  a  fresh  mark  of  honor — as  an  addition  to  his 
revenues — as  a  pledge  for  his  personal  safety.  His 
heart  had  never  been  more  or  less  attached  to  her 
than  to  any  other  beautiful  woman  in  Egypt.  Now 
her  proud  and  noble  personality  stood  before  his  in- 
ward eye,  and  he  felt  as  if  he  must  look  up  to  it  as 
to  a  vision  high  out  of  his  reach.  It  vexed  him  that 
he  had  followed  Katuti's  advice,  and  he  began  to  wish 
his  suit  had  been  repulsed.  Marriage  with  Bent-Anat 
seemed  to  him  beset  with  difficulties.  His  mood  was 
that  of  a  man  who  craves  some  brilliant  position, 
though  he  knows  that  its  requirements  are  beyond  his 
powers — that  of  an  ambitious  soul  to  whom  kingly 
honors  are  offered  on  condition  that  he  will  never 
remove  a  heavy  crown  from  his  head.  If  indeed  an- 
other plan  should  succeed,  if — and  his  eyes  flashed 
eagerly — if  fate  set  him  on  the  seat  of  Rameses,  then 
the  alliance  with  Bent-Anat  would  lose  its  terrors; 
there  would  he  be  her  absolute  King  and  Lord  and 
Master,  and  no  one  could  require  him  to  account  for 
what  he  might  be  to  her,  or  vouchsafe  to  her. 


UARDA.  157 


CHAPTER  X. 

DURING  the  events  we  have  described  the  house 
of  the  charioteer  Mena  had  not  remained  free  from 
visitors. 

It  resembled  the  neighboring  estate  of  Paaker, 
though  the  buildings  were  less  new,  the  gay  paint  on 
the  pillars  and  walls  was  faded,  and  the  large  garden 
lacked  careful  attention.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  house 
only,  a  few  well-kept  beds  blazed  with  splendid  flowers, 
and  the  open  colonnade,  which  was  occupied  by  Katuti 
and  her  daughter,  was  furnished  with  royal  magnifi- 
cence. 

The  elegantly  carved  seats  were  made  of  ivory,  the 
tables  of  ebony,  and  they,  as  well  as  the  couches,  had 
gilt  feet.  The  artistically  worked  Syrian  drinking 
vessels  on  the  sideboard,  tables,  and  consoles  were  of 
many  forms ;  beautiful  vases  full  of  flowers  stood  every- 
where ;  rare  perfumes  rose  from  alabaster  cups,  and 
the  foot  sank  in  the  thick  pile  of  the  carpets  which 
covered  the  floor. 

And  over  the  apparently  careless  arrangement  of 
these  various  objects  there  reigned  a  peculiar  charm, 
an  indescribably  fascinating  something. 

Stretched  at  full-length  on  a  couch,  and  playing 
with  a  silky-haired  white  cat,  lay  the  fair  Nefert — 
fanned  to  coolness  by  a  negro-girl — while  her  mother 
Katuti  nodded  a  last  farewell  to  her  sister  Setchem 
and  to  Paaker. 

Both  had  crossed  this  threshold  for  the  first  time 
for  four  years,  that  is  since  the  marriage  of  Mena  with 


158  UARDA. 

Nefert,  and  the  old  enmity  seemed  now  to  have  given 
way  to  heartfelt  reconciliation  and  mutual  under- 
standing. 

After  the  pioneer  and  his  mother  had  disappeared 
behind  the  pomegranate  shrubs  at  the  entrance  of  the 
garden,  Katuti  turned  to  her  daughter  and  said : 

"  Who  would  have  thought  it  yesterday  ?  I  believe 
Paaker  loves  you  still." 

Nefert  colored,  and  exclaimed  softly,  while  she 
hit  the  kitten  gently  with  her  fan — 

"Mother!" 

Katuti  smiled. 

She  was  a  tall  woman  of  noble  demeanor,  whose 
sharp  but  delicately-cut  features  and  sparkling  eyes 
could  still  assert  some  pretensions  to  feminine  beauty. 
She  wore  a  long  robe,  which  reached  below  her 
ankles;  it  was  of  costly  material,  but  dark  in  color, 
and  of  a  studied  simplicity.  Instead  of  the  ornaments 
in  bracelets,  anklets,  ear  and  finger-rings,  in  necklaces 
and  clasps,  which  most  of  the  Egyptian  ladies — and 
indeed  her  own  sister  and  daughter — were  accustomed 
to  Avear,  she  had  only  fresh  flowers,  which  were  never 
wanting  in  the  garden  of  her  son-in-law.  Only  a  plain 
gold  diadem,  the  badge  of  her  royal  descent,  always 
rested,  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night,  on  her 
high  brow — for  a  woman  too  high,  though  nobly  formed 
— and  confined  the  long  blue-black  hair,  which  fell 
unbraided  down  her  back,  as  if  its  owner  contemned 
the  vain  labor  of  arranging  it  artistically.  But  nothing 
in  her  exterior  was  unpremeditated,  and  the  unbe- 
jewelled  wearer  of  the  diadem,  in  her  plain  dress,  and 
with  her  royal  figure,  was  everywhere  sure  of  being 


UARDA.  159 

observed,  and  of  finding  imitators  of  her  dress,  and 
indeed  of  her  demeanor. 

And  yet  Katuti  had  long  lived  in  need ;  aye  at  the 
very  hour  when  we  first  make  her  acquaintance,  she 
had  little  of  her  own,  but  lived  on  the  estate  of  her 
son-in-law  as  his  guest,  and  as  the  administrator  of  his 
possessions ;  and  before  the  marriage  of  her  daughter 
she  had  lived  with  her  children  in  a  house  belonging 
to  her  sister  Setchem. 

She  had  been  the  wife  of  her  own  brother,*  who 
had  died  young,  and  who  had  squandered  the  greatest 
part  of  the  possessions  which  had  been  left  to  him  by 
the  new  royal  family,  in  an  extravagant  love  of  dis- 
play. 

When  she  became  a  widow,  she  was  received  as  a 
sister  with  her  children  by  her  brother-in-law,  Paaker's 
father.  She  lived  in  a  house  of  her  own,  enjoyed  the 
income  of  an  estate  assigned  to  her  by  the  old  Mohar, 
and  left  to  her  son-in-law  the  care  of  educating  her 
son,  a  handsome  and  overbearing  lad,  with  all  the 
claims  and  pretensions  of  a  youth  of  distinction. 

Such  great  benefits  would  have  oppressed  and  dis- 
graced the  proud  Katuti,  if  she  had  been  content  with 
them  and  in  every  way  agreed  with  the  giver.  But 
this  was  by  no  means  the  case;  rather,  she  believed 
that  she  might  pretend  to  a  more  brilliant  outward 
position,  felt  herself  hurt  when  her  heedless  son,  while 
he  attended  school,  was  warned  to  work  more  seriously, 
as  he  would  by  and  by  have  to  rely  on  his  own  skill 

*  Marriages  between  brothers  and  sisters  were  allowed  in  ancient  Egypt. 
The  Ptolemaic  princes  adopted  this,  which  was  contrary  to  the  Macedonian 
customs.  When  Ptolemy  II.  Philadelphus  married  his  sister  Arsinoe,  it  seems 
to  have  been  thought  necessary  to  excuse  it  by  the  relative  positions  of  Venus 
and  Saturn  at  that  period,  and  the  constraining  influences  of  these  planets. 


l6o  UARDA. 

and  his  own  strength.  And  it  had  wounded  her  when 
occasionally  her  brother-in-law  had  suggested  economy, 
and  had  reminded  her,  in  his  straightforward  way,  ot 
her  narrow  means,  and  the  uncertain  future  of  her 
children. 

At  this  she  was  deeply  offended,  for  she  ventured 
to  say  that  her  relatives  could  never,  with  all  their 
gifts,  compensate  for  the  insults  they  heaped  upon 
her;  and  thus  taught  them  by  experience  that  we 
quarrel  with  no  one  more  readily  than  with  the  bene- 
factor whom  we  can  never  repay  for  all  the  good  he 
bestows  on  us. 

Nevertheless,  when  her  brother-in-law  asked  the 
hand  of  her  daughter  for  his  son,  she  willingly  gave 
her  consent. 

Nefert  and  Paaker  had  grown  up  together,  and  by 
this  union  she  foresaw  that  she  could  secure  her  own 
future  and  that  of  her  children. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  the  Mohar,  the  charioteer 
Mena  had  proposed  for  Nefert's  hand,  but  would  nave 
been  refused  if  the  king  himself  had  not  supported  the 
suit  of  his  favorite  officer.  After  the  wedding,  she 
retired  with  Nefert  to  Mena's  house,  and  undertook, 
while  he  was  at  the  war,  to  manage  his  great  estates, 
which  however  had  been  greatly  burthened  with  debt 
by  his  father. 

Fate  put  the  means  into  her  hands  of  indemnifying 
herself  and  her  children  for  many  past  privations,  and 
she  availed  herself  of  them  to  gratify  her  innate  desire 
to  be  esteemed  and  admired ;  to  obtain  admission  for 
her  son,  splendidly  equipped,  into  a  company  of 
chariot-warriors  of  the  highest  class ;  and  to  sur- 
round her  daughter  with  princely  magnificence. 


UARDA.  -1 6l 

When  the  Regent,  who  had  been  a  friend  of  her 
late  husband,  removed  into  the  palace  of  the  Pharaohs, 
he  made  her  advances,  and  the  clever  and  decided 
woman  knew  how  to  make  herself  at  first  agreeable, 
and  finally  indispensable,  to  the  vacillating  man. 

She  availed  herself  of  the  circumstance  that  she, 
as  well  as  he,  was  descended  from  the  old  royal  house  to 
pique  his  ambition,  and  to  open  to  him  a  view,  which 
even  to  think  of,  he  would  have  considered  forbidden 
as  a  crime,  before  he  became  intimate  with  her. 

Ani's  suit  for  the  hand  of  the  princess  Bent-Anat 
was  Katuti's  work.  She  hoped  that  the  Pharoah 
would  refuse,  and  personally  offend  the  Regent,  and 
so  make  him  more  inclined  to  tread  the  dangerous 
road  which  she  was  endeavoring  to  smooth  for  him. 
The  dwarf  Nemu  was  her  pliant  tool. 

She  had  not  initiated  him  into  her  projects  by 
any  words;  he  however  gave  utterance  to  every  im- 
pulse of  her  mind  in  free  language,  which  was  punished 
only  with  blows  from  a  fan,  and,  only  the  day  before, 
had  been  so  audacious  as  to  say  that  if  the  Pharoah 
were  called  Ani  instead  of  Rameses,  Katuti  would  be 
not  a  queen  but  a  goddess  for  she  would  then  have  not 
to  obey,  but  rather  to  guide,  the  Pharaoh,  who  indeed 
himself  was  related  to  the  Immortals. 

Katuti  did  not  observe  her  daughter's  blush,  for 
she  was  looking  anxiously  out  at  the  garden  gate,  and 
said: 

"Where  can  Nemu  be!  There  must  be  some  news 
arrived  for  us  from  the  army." 

"Mena  has  not  written  for  so  long,"  Nefert  said 
softly.  "  Ah !  here  is  the  steward ! " 


162  UARDA. 

Katuti  turned  to  the  officer,  who  had  entered  the 
veranda  through  a  side  door 

"What  do  you  bring,"  she  asked. 

"The  dealer  Abscha,"  was  the  answer,  "presses  tor 
payment.  The  new  Syrian  chariot  and  the  purple 
cloth—" 

"Sell  some  corn,"  ordered  Katuti. 

"Impossible,  for  the  tribute  to  the  temples  is  not 
yet  paid,  and  already  so  much  has  been  delivered  to 
the  dealers  that  scarcely  enough  remains  over  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  household  and  for  sowing." 

"Then  pay  with  beasts." 

"  But,  madam,"  said  the  steward  sorrowfully,  "  only 
yesterday,  we  again  sold  a  herd  to  the  Mohar;  and  the 
water-wheels  must  be  turned,  and  the  corn  must  be 
thrashed,  and  we  need  beasts  for  sacrifice,  and  milk, 
butter,  and  cheese,  for  the  use  of  the  house,  and  dung 
for  firing."* 

Katuti  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  ground. 

"It  must  be,"  she  said  presently.  "Ride  to 
Hermonthis,  and  say  to  the  keeper  of  the  stud  that 
he  must  have  ten  of  Mena's  golden  bays  driven  over 
here." 

"  I  have  already  spoken  to  him,"  said  the  steward, 
"but  he  maintains  that  Mena  strictly  forbade  him  to 
part  with  even  one  of  the  horses,  for  he  is  proud  of 
the  stock.  Only  for  the  chariot  of  the  lady  Nefert — " 

"I  require  obedience,"  said  Katuti  decidedly  and 
cutting  short  the  steward's  words,  "  and  I  expect  the 
horses  to-morrow." 


*  In   Egypt,  where  there   is  so  little  wood,  to  this  day  the  dried  dung  of 
beasts  is  the  commonest  kind  of  fuel. 


UARDA.  163 

"  But  the  stud-master  is  a  daring  man,  whom  Mena 
looks  upon  as  indispensable,  and  he — " 

"  I  command  here,  and  not  the  absent,"  cried  Katuti 
enraged,  "and  I  require  the  horses  in  spite  of  the 
former  orders  of  my  son-in-law." 

Nefert,  during  this  conversation,  pulled  herself  up 
from  her  indolent  attitude.  On  hearing  the  last  words 
she  rose  from  her  couch,  and  said,  with  a  decision 
which  surprised  even  her  mother — 

"The  orders  of  my  husband  must  be  obeyed. 
The  horses  that  Mena  loves  shall  stay  in  their  stalls. 
Take  this  armlet  that  the  king  gave  me;  it  is  worth 
more  than  twenty  horses." 

The  steward  examined  the  trinket,  richly  set  with 
precious  stones,  and  looked  enquiringly  at  Katuti. 
She  shrugged  her  shoulders,  nodded  consent,  and 
said — 

"Abscha  shall  hold  it  as  a  pledge  till  Mena's  booty 
arrives.  For  a  year  your  husband  has  sent  nothing  of 
importance." 

When  the  steward  was  gone,  Nefert  stretched  her- 
self again  on  her  couch  and  said  wearily — 

"  I  thought  we  were  rich." 

"We  might  be,"  said  Katuti  bitterly;  but  as  she 
perceived  that  Nefert's  cheeks  again  were  glowing,  she 
said  amiably,  "  Our  high  rank  imposes  great  duties  on 
us.  Princely  blood  flows  in  our  veins,  and  the  eyes  of 
the  people  are  turned  on  the  wife  of  the  most  brilliant 
hero  in  the  king's  army.  They  shall  not  say  that  she 
is  neglected  by  her  husband.  How  long  Mena  remains 
away!" 

"I  hear  a  noise  in  the  court,"  said  Nefert.  "The 
Regent  is  coming." 


164  UARDA. 

Katuti  turned  again  towards  the  garden. 

A  breathless  slave  rushed  in,  and  announced  that 
Bent-Anat,  the  daughter  of  the  king,  had  dismounted 
at  the  gate,  and  was  approaching  the  garden  with  the 
prince  Rameri. 

Nefert  left  her  couch,  and  went  with  her  mother 
to  meet  the  exalted  visitors. 

As  the  mother  and  daughter  bowed  to  kiss  the 
robe  of  the  princess,  Bent-Anat  signed  them  back 
from  her.  "Keep  farther  from  me,"  she  said;  "the 
priests  have  not  yet  entirely  absolved  me  from  my 
uncleanness." 

"  And  in  spite  of  them  thou  art  clean  in  the  sight 
of  Ra!"  exclaimed  the  boy  who  accompanied  her,  her 
brother  of  seventeen,  who  was  brought  up  at  the  House 
of  Seti,  which  however  he  was  to  leave  in  a  few  weeks 
— and  he  kissed  her. 

"  I  shall  complain  to  Ameni  of  this  wild  boy,"  said 
Bent-Anat  smiling.  "  He  would  positively  accompany 
me.  Your  husband,  Nefert,  is  his  model,  and  I  had  no 
peace  in  the  house,  for  we  came  to  bring  you  good 
news." 

"From  Mena?"  asked  the  young  wife,  pressing  her 
hand  to  her  heart. 

"As  you  say,"  returned  Bent-Anat.  "My  father 
praises  his  ability,  and  writes  that  he,  before  all  others, 
will  have  his  choice  at  the  dividing  of  the  spoil." 

Nefert  threw  a  triumphant  glance  at  her  mother, 
and  Katuti  drew  a  deep  breath. 

Bent-Anat  stroked  Nefert's  cheeks  like  those  of 
a  child.  Then  she  turned  to  Katuti,  led  her  into 
the  garden,  and  begged  her  to  aid  her,  who  had  so 


UARDA.  165 

early  lost  her  mother,  with  her  advice  in  a  weighty 
matter. 

"  My  father,"  she  continued,  after  a  few  introductory 
words,  "  informs  me  that  the  Regent  Ani  desires  me 
for  his  wife,  and  advises  me  to  reward  the  fidelity  of 
the  worthy  man  with  my  hand.  He  advises  it,  you 
understand — he  does  not  command." 

"And  thou?"  asked  Katuti. 

"And  I,"  replied  Bent-Anat  decidedly,  "must  re- 
fuse him." 

"  Thou  must !" 

Bent-Anat  made  a  sign  of  assent  and  went  on : 

"  It  is  quite  clear  to  me.     I  can  do  nothing  else." 

"  Then  thou  dost  not  need  my  counsel,  since  even 
thy  father,  I  well  know,  will  not  be  able  to  alter  thy 
decision." 

"  No  God  even  could  alter  this  one  !"  said  Bent- 
Anat  firmly.  "  But  you  are  Ani's  friend,  and,  as  I 
esteem  him,  I  would  save  him  this  humiliation.  En- 
deavor to  persuade  him  to  give  up  his  suit.  I  will 
meet  him  as  though  I  knew  nothing  of  his  letter  to 
my  father." 

Katuti  looked  down  reflectively.  Then  she  said — 
"  The  Regent  certainly  likes  very  well  to  pass  his 
hours  of  leisure  with  me  gossiping  or  playing  draughts, 
but  I  do  not  know  that  I  should  dare  to  speak  to  him 
of  so  grave  a  matter." 

"  Marriage-projects  are  women's  affairs,"  said  Bent- 
Anat,  smiling. 

"  But  the  marriage  of  a  princess  is  a  state  event," 
replied  the  widow.  "  In  this  case  it  is  true  the  *uncle 
only  courts  his  niece,  who  is  dear  to  him,  and  who  he 

*  Among  the  Orientals — and  even  the  Spaniards — it  was  and  is  common  to 
give  the  name  of  uncle  to  a  parent's  cousin.  A  ole  to  Am.  H-iition, 


1 66  UARDA. 

hopes  will  make  the  second  half  of  his  life  the  brightest. 
Ani  is  kind  and  without  severity.  Thou  would'st  win 
in  him  a  husband,  who  would  wait  on  thy  looks,  and 
bow  willingly  to  thy  strong  will." 

Bent-Anat's  eyes  flashed,  and  she  hastily  exclaimed  : 
"  That  is  exactly  what  forces  the  decisive  irrevocable 
'  No  '  to  my  lips.  Do  you  think  that  because  I  am  as 
proud  as  my  mother,  and  resolute  like  my  father,  that 
I  wish  for  a  husband  whom  I  could  govern  and  lead 
as  I  would  ?  How  little  you  know  me !  I  will  be 
obeyed  by  my  dogs,  my  servants,  my  officers,  if  the 
Gods  so  will  it,  by  my  children.  Abject  beings,  who 
will  kiss  my  feet,  I  meet  on  every  road,  and  can  buy 
by  the  hundred,  if  I  wish  it,  in  the  slave  market.  I 
may  be  courted  twenty  times,  and  reject  twenty  suitors, 
but  not  because  I  fear  that  they  might  bend  my  pride 
and  my  will ;  on  the  contrary,  because  I  feel  them  in- 
creased. The  man  to  whom  I  could  wish  to  offer  my 
hand  must  be  of  a  loftier  stamp,  must  be  greaterr 
firmer,  and  better  than  I,  and  I  will  flutter  after  the 
mighty  wing-strokes  of  his  spirit,  and  smile  at  my  own 
weakness,  and  glory  in  admiring  his  superiority." 

Katuti  listened  to  the  maiden  with  the  smile  by 
which  the  experienced  love  to  signify  their  superiority 
over  the  visionary. 

"  Ancient  times  may  have  produced  such  men," 
she  said.  "  But  if  in  these  days  thou  thinkest  to  find 
one,  thou  wilt  wear  the  lock  of  youth,*  till  thou  art 
grey.  Our  thinkers  are  no  heroes,  and  our  heroes  are 
no  sages.  Here  come  thy  brother  and  Nefert." 

*  The  lock  of  youth  was  a  curl  of  hair  which  all  the  younger  members  of 
princely  families  wore  at  the  side  of  the  head.  The  young  Horus  is  represented 
with  it. 


UARDA.  167 

"Will  you  persuade  Ani  to  give  up  his  suit!"  said 
the  princess  urgently. 

"I  will  endeavor  to  do  so,  for  thy  sake,"  replied 
Katuti.  Then,  turning  half  to  the  young  Rameri  and 
half  to  his  sister,  she  said : 

"The  chief  of  the  House  of  Seti,  Ameni,  was  in 
his  youth  such  a  man  as  thou  paintest,  Bent-Anat. 
Tell  us,  thou  son  of  Rameses,  that  art  growing  up 
under  the  young  sycamores,  which  shall  some  day 
over-shadow  the  land — whom  dost  thou  esteem  the 
highest  among  thy  companions?  Is  there  one  among 
them,  who  is  conspicuous  above  them  all  for  a  lofty 
spirit  and  strength  of  intellect?" 

The  young  Rameri  looked  gaily  at  the  speaker, 
and  said  laughing:  "We  are  all  much  alike,  and  do 
more  or  less  willingly  what  we  are  compelled,  and  by 
preference  every  thing  that  we  ought  not." 

"A  mighty  soul — a  youth,  who  promises  to  be  a 
second*  Snefru,  aThotmes,  or  even  an  Ameni  ?  Dost  thou 
know  none  such  in  the  House  of  Seti  ?"  asked  the  widow. 

"  Oh  yes !"  cried  Rameri  with  eager  certainty. 

"And  he  is — ?"  asked  Katuti. 

"  Pentaur,  the  poet,"  exclaimed  the  youth.  Bent- 
Anat's  face  glowed  with  scarlet  color,  while  her 
brother  went  on  to  explain. 

"He  is  noble  and  ot  a  lofty  soul,  and  all  the  Gods 
dwell  in  him  when  he  speaks.  P'ormerly  we  used  to 
go  to  sleep  in  the  lecture-hall;  but  his  words  carry  us 
away,  and  if  we  do  not  take  in  the  full  meaning  of  his 
thoughts,  yet  we  feel  that  they  are  genuine  and  noble." 

*  The  ist  king  of  the  4th  dynasty,  who  to  a  late  date  was  held  in  high 
honor,  and  of  whom  it  is  said  in  several  places  that  "  the  like  has  not  been 
seen  since  the  days  of  Snefru."  The  monuments  of  his  time  are  the  earliest 
which  has-e  generally  come  down  to  us.  Up  to  a  late  period  certain  priests  were 
specially  assigned  to  the  worship  of  his  Manes. 


1 68  UARDA. 

Bent-Anat  breathed  quicker  at  these  words,  and 
her  eyes  hung  on  the  boy's  lips. 

"You  know  him,  Bent-Anat,"  continued  Rameri. 
"  He  was  with  you  at  the  paraschites'  house,  and  in  the 
temple-court  when  Ameni  pronounced  you  unclean.  He 
is  as  tall  and  handsome  as  the  God  Menth,*  and  I 
feel  that  he  is  one  of  those  whom  we  can  never  forget 
when  once  we  have  seen  them.  Yesterday,  after  you 
had  left  the  temple,  he  spoke  as  he  never  spoke  be- 
fore; he  poured  fire  into  our  souls.  Do  not  laugh, 
Katuti,  I  feel  it  burning  still.  This  morning  we  were 
informed  that  he  had  been  sent  from  the  temple,  who 
knows  where — and  had  left  us  a  message  of  farewell. 
It  was  not  thought  at  all  necessary  to  communicate  the 
reason  to  us;  but  we  know  more  than  the  masters 
think.  He  did  not  reprove  you  strongly  enough,  Bent- 
Anat,  and  therefore  he  is  driven  out  of  the  House  of 
Seti.  We  have  agreed  to  combine  to  ask  for  him  to 
be  recalled ;  Anana  is  drawing  up  a  letter  to  the  chief 
priest,  which  we  shall  all  subscribe.  It  would  turn  out 
badly  for  one  alone,  but  they  cannot  be  at  all  of  us  at 
once.  Very  likely  they  will  have  the  sense  to  recall 
him.  If  not,  we  shall  all  complain  to  our  fathers,  and 
they  are  not  the  meanest  in  the  land." 

"  It  is  a  complete  rebellion,"  cried  Katuti.  "  Take 
care,  you  lordlings ;  Ameni  and  the  other  prophets  are 
not  to  be  trifled  with." 

"  Nor  we  either,"  said  Rameri  laughing,  "  If  Pen- 
taur  is  kept  in  banishment,  I  shall  appeal  to  my  father 
to  place  me  at  the  school  at  Heliopolis  or  Chennu, 
and  the  others  will  follow  me.  Come,  Bent-Anat,  I 
must  be  back  in  the  trap  before  sunset.  Excuse  me, 

*  Menth,  the  Egyptian  God  of  War. 


UARDA.  169 

Katuti,  so  we  call  the  school.  Here  comes  your  little 
Nemu." 

The  brother  and  sister  left  the  garden. 

As  soon  as  the  ladies,  who  accompanied  them,  had 
turned  their  backs,  Bent-Anat  grasped  her  brother's 
hand  with  unaccustomed  warmth,  and  said: 

"Avoid  all  imprudence;  but  your  demand  is  just, 
and  I  will  help  you  with  all  my  heart." 


CHAPTER   XI. 

As  soon  as  Bent-Anat  had  quitted  Mena's  domain, 
the  dwarf  Nemu  entered  the  garden  with  a  letter,  and 
briefly  related  his  adventures ;  but  in  such  a  comical 
fashion  that  both  the  ladies  laughed,  and  Katuti,  with 
a  lively  gaiety,  which  was  usually  foreign  to  her,  while 
she  warned  him,  at  the  same  time  praised  his  acute- 
ness.  She  looked  at  the  seal  of  the  letter  and  said: 

"This  is  a  lucky  day;  it  has  brought  us  great  things, 
and  the  promise  of  greater  things  in  the  future." 

Nefert  came  close  up  to  her  and  said  imploringly: 
"  Open  the  letter,  and  see  if  there  is  nothing  in  it  from 
him." 

Katuti  unfastened  the  wax,  looked  through  the 
letter  with  a  hasty  glance,  stroked  the  cheek  of  her 
child,  and  said: 

"Perhaps  your  brother  has  written  for  him;  I  see 
no  line  in  his  handwriting." 

Nefert  on  her  side  glanced  at  the  letter,  but  not  to 
read  it,  only  to  seek  some  trace  of  the  well-known 
handwriting  of  her  husband. 

Like  all  the  Egyptian  women  of  good  family  she 


170  UARDA. 

could  read,  and  during  the  first  two  years  of  her  mar- 
ried life  she  had  often — very  often — had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  puzzling,  and  yet  rejoicing,  over  the  feeble 
signs  which  the  iron  hand  of  the  charioteer  had 
scrawled  on  the  papyrus  for  her  whose  slender  fingers 
could  guide  the  reed  pen  with  firmness  and  decision. 

She  examined  the  letter,  and  at  last  said,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes : 

"Nothing!  I  will  go  to  my  room,  mother." 

Katuti  kissed  her  and  said,  "  Hear  first  what  your 
brother  writes." 

But  Nefert  shook  her  head,  turned  away  in  silence, 
and  disappeared  into  the  house. 

Katuti  was  not  very  friendly  to  her  son-in-law,  but 
her  heart  clung  to  her  handsome,  reckless  son,  the 
very  image  of  her  lost  husband,  the  favorite  of  women, 
and  the  gayest  youth  among  the  young  nobles  who 
composed  the  chariot-guard  of  the  king. 

How  fully  he  had  written  to-day — he  who  wielded 
the  reed-pen  so  laboriously. 

This  really  was  a  letter;  while,  usually,  he  only 
asked  in  the  fewest  words  for  fresh  funds  for  the 
gratification  of  his  extravagant  tastes. 

This  time  she  might  look  for  thanks,  for  not  long 
since  he  must  have  received  a  considerable  supply, 
which  she  had  abstracted  from  the  income  of  the  pos- 
sessions entrusted  to  her  by  her  son-in-law. 

She  began  to  read. 

The  cheerfulness,  with  which  she  had  met  the 
dwarf,  was  insincere,  and  had  resembled  the  brilliant 
colors  of  the  rainbow,  which  gleam  over  the  stagnant 
waters  of  a  bog.  A  stone  falls  into  the  pool,  the 


UARDA.  171 

colors  vanish,  dim  mists  rise  up,  and  it  becomes  foul 
and  clouded. 

The  news  which  her  son's  letter  contained  fell,  in- 
deed, like  a  block  of  stone  on  Katuti's  soul. 

Our  deepest  sorrows  always  flow  from  the  same 
source  as  might  have  filled  us  with  joy,  and  those 
wounds  burn  the  fiercest  which  are  inflicted  by  a 
hand  we  love. 

The  farther  Katuti  went  in  the  lamentably  incor- 
rect epistle — which  she  could  only  decipher  with  diffi- 
culty— which  her  darling  had  written  to  her,  the  paler 
grew  her  face,  which  she  several  times  covered  with 
her  trembling  hands,  from  which  the  letter  dropped. 

Nemu  squatted  on  the  earth  near  her,  and  followed 
all  her  movements. 

When  she  sprang  forward  with  a  heart-piercing 
scream,  and  pressed  her  forehead  to  a  rough  palm- 
trunk,  he  crept  up  to  her,  kissed  her  feet,  and  exclaimed 
with  a  depth  of  feeling  that  overcame  even  Katuti, 
who  was  accustomed  to  hear  only  gay  or  bitter  speeches 
from  the  lips  of  her  jester — 

"Mistress!  lady!  what  has  happened?" 

Katuti  collected  herself,  turned  to  him,  and  tried  to 
speak;  but  her  pale  lips  remained  closed,  and  her  eyes 
gazed  dimly  into  vacancy  as  though  a  catalepsy  had 
seized  her. 

"Mistress!  Mistress!"  cried  the  dwarf  again,  with 
growing  agitation.  "What  is  the  matter?  shall  I  call 
thy  daughter?" 

Katuti  made  a  sign  with  her  hand,  and  cried  feebly : 
"The  wretches!  the  reprobates!" 

Her  breath  began  to  come  quickly,  the  blood 
mounted  to  her  cheeks  and  her  flashing  eyes;  she  trod 


172  UARDA. 

upon  the  letter,  and  wept  so  loud  and  passionately, 
that  the  dwarf,  who  had  never  before  seen  tears  in 
her  eyes,  raised  himself  timidly,  and  said  in  mild  re- 
proach :  "  Katuti ! " 

She  laughed  bitterly,  and  said  with  a  trembling 
voice: 

"Why  do  you  call  my  name  so  loud!  it  is  dis- 
graced and  degraded.  How  the  nobles  and  the  ladies 
will  rejoice!  Now  envy  can  point  at  us  with  spiteful 
joy — and  a  minute  ago  I  was  praising  this  day!  They 
say  one  should  exhibit  one's  happiness  in  the  streets, 
and  conceal  one's  misery;  on  the  contrary,  on  the  con- 
trary! Even  the  Gods  should  not  know  of  one's  hopes 
and  joys,  for  they  too  are  envious  and  spiteful!" 

Again  she  leaned  her  head  against  the  palm-treeo 

"Thou  speakest  of  shame,  and  not  of  death,"  said 
Nemu,  "  and  I  learned  from  thee  that  one  should  give 
nothing  up  for  lost  excepting  the  dead." 

These  words  had  a  powerful  effect  on  the  agitated 
woman.  Quickly  and  vehemently  she  turned  upon  the 
dwarf  saying. 

"You  are  clever,  and  faithful  too,  so  listen!  but  if 
you  were  Amon  himself  there  is  nothing  to  be  done — " 

"We  must  try,"  said  Nemu,  and  his  sharp  eyes  met 
those  of  his  mistress. 

"Speak,"  he  said,  and  trust  me.  Perhaps  I  can 
be  of  no  use;  but  that  I  can  be  silent  thou  knowest." 

"Before  long  the  children  in  the  streets  will  talk 
of  what  this  tells  me,"  said  Katuti,  laughing  with  bitter- 
ness, "only  Nefert  must  know  nothing  of  what  has 
happened — nothing,  mind;  what  is  that?  the  Regent 
coming!  quick,  fly;  tell  him  I  am  suddenly  taken  ill, 


UARDA,  173 

very  ill ;  I  cannot  see  him,  not  now !  No  one  is  to  be 
admitted — no  one,  do  you  hear  ?" 

The  dwarf  went. 

When  he  came  back  after  he  had  fulfilled  his 
errand,  he  found  his  mistress  still  in  a  fever  of  ex- 
citement. 

"Listen,"  she  said;  "first  the  smaller  matter,  then 
the  frightful,  the  unspeakable.  Rameses  loads  Mena 
with  marks  of  his  favor.  It  came  to  a  division  of  the 
spoils  of  war  for  the  year ;  a  great  heap  of  treasure  lay 
ready  for  each  of  his  followers,  and  the  charioteer  had 
to  choose  before  all  the  others." 

"  Well  ?"  said  the  dwarf. 

"  Well !"  echoed  Katuti.  "  Well !  how  did  the  worthy 
householder  care  for  his  belongings  at  home,  how  did 
he  seek  to  relieve  his  indebted  estate  ?  It  is  disgrace- 
ful, hideous !  He  passed  by  the  silver,  the  gold,  the 
jewels,  with  a  laugh ;  and  took  the  captive  daughter  of 
the  Danaid  princes,  and  led  her  into  his  tent." 

"  Shameful !"  muttered  the  dwarf. 

"  Poor,  poor  Nefert !"  cried  Katuti,  covering  her 
face  with  her  hands. 

"And  what  more  ?"  asked  Nemu  hastily. 

"  That,"  said  Katuti,  "  that  is — but  I  will  keep  calm 
— quite  calm  and  quiet.  You  know  my  son.  He  is 
heedless,  but  he  loves  me  and  his  sister  more  than 
anything  in  the  world.  I,  fool  as  I  was,  to  persuade 
him  to  economy,  had  vividly  described  our  evil  plight, 
and  after  that  disgraceful  conduct  of  Mena  he  thought 
of  us  and  of  our  anxieties.  His  share  of  the  booty 
was  small,  and  could  not  help  us.  His  comrades  threw 
dice  for  the  shares  they  had  obtained — he  staked  his  to 
win  more  for  us.  He  lost — all — all — and  at  last  against 


1 74  UARDA. 

an  enormous  sum,  still  thinking  of  us,  and  only  of  us, 
he  staked  the  mummy  of  his  dead  father.*  He  lost.  If 
he  does  not  redeem  the  pledge  before  the  expiration 
of  the  third  month,  he  will  fall  into  infamy,**  the 
mummy  will  belong  to  the  winner,  and  disgrace  and 
ignominy  will  be  my  lot  and  his." 

Katuti  pressed  her  hands  on  her  face,  the  dwarf 
muttered  to  himself,  "  The  gambler  and  hypocrite !" 

When  his  mistress  had  grown  calmer,  he  said : 

"  It  is  horrible,  yet  all  is  not  lost.  How  much  is 
the  debt  ?" 

It  sounded  like  a  heavy  curse,  when  Katuti  replied, 
"  Thirty  Babylonian  talents."*** 

The  dwarf  cried  out,  as  if  an  asp  had  stung  him. 
"Who  dared  to  bid  against  such  a  mad  stake?" 

"The  Lady  Hathor's  son,  Antef,"  answered  Katuti, 
"who  has  already  gambled  away  the  inheritance  of  his 
fathers,  in  Thebes." 

"  He  will  not  remit  one  grain  of  wheat  of  his  claim," 
cried  the  dwarf.  "And  Mena?" 

"  How  could  my  son  turn  to  him  after  Avhat  had 
happened  ?  The  poor  child  implores  me  to  ask  the 
assistance  of  the  Regent." 

"Of  the  Regent?"  said  the  dwarf,  shaking  his  big 
head.  "  Impossible !" 

"I  know,  as  matters  now  stand;  but  his  place,  his 
name." 


*  It  was  a  king  of  the  fourth  dynasty,  named  Asychis  by  Herodotus,  who 
It  is  admitted  was  the  first  to  pledge  the  mummies  of  his  ancestors.  "  He  who 
stakes  this  pledge  and  fails  to  redeem  the  debt  shall,  after  his  death,  rest 
neither  in  his  fathei's  tomb  nor  in  any  other,  and  sepulture  shall  be  denied  to 
his  descendants."  Herod,  n.  136. 

**  This  it  would  appear  was  the  heaviest  punishment  which  could  full   on 
an  Egyptian  Soldier.     Diod.  i.  78. 
***  £,  6,750  sterling. 


UARDA.  175 

"Mistress,"  said  the  dwarf,  and  deep  purpose  rang 
in  the  words,  "  do  not  spoil  the  future  for  the  sake  of 
the  present.  If  thy  son  loses  his  honor  under  King 
Rameses,  the  future  King,  Ani,  may  restore  it  to  him. 
If  the  Regent  now  renders  you  all  an  important  ser- 
vice, he  will  regard  you  as  amply  paid  when  our  efforts 
have  succeeded,  and  he  sits  on  the  throne.  He  lets 
himself  be  led  by  thee  now  because  thou  hast  no  need 
of  his  help,  and  dost  seem  to  work  only  for  his  sake, 
and  for  his  elevation.  As  soon  as  thou  hast  appealed 
to  him,  and  he  has  assisted  thee,  all  thy  confidence 
and  freedom  will  be  gone,  and  the  more  difficult  he 
finds  it  to  raise  so  large  a  sum  of  money  at  once, 
the  angrier  he  will  be  to  think  that  thou  art  making 
use  of.  him.  Thou  knowest  his  circumstances." 

"He  is  in  debt,"  said  Katuti.     "I  know  that." 

"Thou  should'st  know  it,"  cried  the  dwarf,  "for 
thou  thyself  hast  forced  him  to  enormous  expenses. 
He  has  won  the  people  of  Thebes  with  dazzling 
festive  displays;  as  guardian  of  Apis*  he  gave  a  large 
donation  to  Memphis;  he  bestowed  thousands  on  the 
leaders  of  the  troops  sent  into  Ethiopia,  which  were 
equipped  by  him;  what  his  spies  cost  him  at  the 
camp  of  the  king,  thou  knowest.  He  has  borrowed 
sums  of  money  from  most  of  the  rich  men  in  the 
country,  and  that  is  well,  for  so  many  creditors  are  so 
many  allies.  The  Regent  is  a  bad  debtor;  but  the 
king  Ani,  they  reckon,  will  be  a  grateful  payer." 

Katuti  looked  at  the  dwarf  in  astonishment. 

"You  know  men!"  she  said. 

*  When  Apis  (the  sacred  bull)  died  under  Ptolemy  I.  Soter,  his  keepers 
spent  not  only  the  money  which  they  had  received  for  his  maintenance,  in  his 
obsequies,  hut  borrowed  50  talents  of  silver  (,£11,250)  from  the  king.  In  the 
time  of  Diodorus  100  talents  were  spent  for  the  same  purpose. 


176  UARDA. 

"To  my  sorrow!"  replied  Nemu.  "Do  not  apply  to 
the  Regent,  and  before  thou  dost  sacrifice  the  labor 
of  years,  and  thy  future  greatness,  and  that  of  those 
near  to  thee,  sacrifice  thy  son's  honor." 

"And  my  husband's,  and  my  own?"  exclaimed 
Katuti.  "How  can  you  know  what  that  is!  Honor 
is  a  word  that  the  slave  may  utter,  but  whose  meaning 
he  can  never  comprehend;  you  rub  the  weals  that 
are  raised  on  you  by  blows;  to  me  every  finger  pointed 
at  me  in  scorn  makes  a  wound  like  an  ashwood  lance 
with  a  poisoned  tip  of  brass.  Oh  ye  holy  Gods!  who 
can  help  us  ?" 

The  miserable  woman  pressed  her  hands  over  her 
eyes,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  sight  of  her  own  disgrace. 

The  dwarf  looked  at  her  compassionately,  and  said 
in  a  changed  tone : 

"  Dost  thou  remember  the  diamond  which  fell  out 
of  Nefert's  handsomest  ring  ?  We  hunted  for  it,  and 
could  not  find  it.  Next  day,  as  I  was  going  through 
the  room,  I  trod  on  something  hard;  I  stooped  down 
and  found  the  stone.  What  the  noble  organ  of  sight, 
the  eye,  overlooked,  the  callous  despised  sole  of  the 
foot  found ;  and  perhaps  the  small  slave,  Nemu,  who 
knows  nothing  of  honor,  may  succeed  in  finding  a 
mode  of  escape  which  is  not  revealed  to  the  lofty 
soul  of  his  mistress !'' 

"What  are  you  thinking  of?"  asked  Katuti. 

"  Escape,"  answered  the  dwarf.  "  Is  it  true  that 
thy  sister  Setchem  has  visited  thee,  and  that  you  are 
reconciled  ?" 

"  She  offered  me  her  hand,  and  I  took  it  1' 

"  Then  go  to  her.  Men  are  never  more  helpful 
than  after  a  reconciliation.  The  enmity  they  have 


UARDA.  177 

driven  out,  seems  to  leave  as  it  were  a  freshly-healed 
wound  which  must  be  touched  with  caution ;  and 
Setchem  is  of  thy  own  blood,  and  kind-hearted." 

"  She  is  not  rich,"  replied  Katuti.  "  Every  palm  in 
her  garden  comes  from  her  husband,  and  belongs  to 
her  children." 

"  Paaker,  too,  was  with  you  ?" 

"  Certainly  only  by  the  entreaty  of  his  mother — he 
hates  my  son-in-law." 

"  I  know  it,"  muttered  the  dwarf,  "  but  if  Nefert 
would  ask  him  ?" 

The  widow  drew  herself  up  indignantly.  She  felt 
that  she  had  allowed  the  dwarf  too  much  freedom, 
and  ordered  him  to  leave  her  alone. 

Nemu  kissed  her  robe  and  asked  timidly — 

"  Shall  I  forget  that  thou  hast  trusted  me,  or  am  I 
permitted  to  consider  further  as  to  thy  son's  safety  ?" 

Katuti  stood  for  a  moment  undecided,  then  she 
said — 

"  You  were  clever  enough  to  find  what  I  carelessly 
dropped ;  perhaps  some  God  may  show  you  what  I 
ought  to  do.  Now  leave  me." 

"  Wilt  thou  want  me  early  to-morrow  ?" 

"  No." 

"  Then  I  will  go  to  the  Necropolis,  and  offer  a 
sacrifice." 

"  Go !"  said  Katuti,  and  went  towards  the  house 
with  the  fatal  letter  in  her  hand. 

Nemu  stayed  behind  alone ;  he  looked  thoughtfully 
at  the  ground,  murmuring  to  himself. 

"  She  must  not  lose  her  honor ;  not  at  present, 
or  indeed  all  will  be  lost.  What  is  this  honor  ?  We 
all  gome  into  the  world  without  it,  and  most  of  us  go 


178  UARDA. 

to  the  grave  without  knowing  it,  and  very  good  folks 
notwithstanding.  Only  a  few  who  are  rich  and  idle 
weave  it  in  with  the  homely  stuff  of  their  souls,  as  the 
Kuschites*  do  their  hair  with  grease  and  oils,  till  it 
forms  a  cap  of  which,  though  it  disfigures  them,  they 
are  so  proud  that  they  would  rather  have  their  ears 
cut  off  than  the  monstrous  thing.  I  see,  I  see — but 
before  I  open  my  mouth  I  will  go  to  my  mother. 
She  knows  more  than  twenty  prophets." 

CHAPTER  XII. 

BEFORE  the  sun  had  risen  the  next  morning,  Nemu 
got  himself  ferried  over  the  Nile,  with  the  small  white 
ass  which  Mena's  deceased  father  had  given  him  many 
years  before.  He  availed  himself  of  the  cool  hour 
which  precedes  the  rising  of  the  sun  for  his  ride 
through  the  Necropolis. 

Well  acquainted  as  he  was  with  every  stock  and 
stone,  he  avoided  the  high  roads  which  led  to  the 
goal  of  his  expedition,  and  trotted  towards  the  hill 
which  divides  the  valley  of  the  royal  tombs  from  the 
plain  of  the  Nile. 

Before  him  opened  a  noble  amphitheatre  of  lofty 
lime-stone  peaks,  the  background  of  the  stately  terrace- 
temple  which  the  proud  ancestress  of  two  kings  of  the 
fallen  family,  the  great  Hatasu,  had  erected  to  their 
memory,  and  to  the  Goddess  Hathor. 

Nemu  left  the  sanctuary  to  his  left,  and  rode  up 
the  steep  hill-path  which  was  the  nearest  way  from  the 
plain  to  the  valley  of  the  tombs. 

*  The  monuments  show  us  that  the  ancient  negroes  of  the  tipper  Nile  were 
devoted  to  these  repulsive  fashions  as  their  modern  descendants  are. 


UARDA.  179 

Below  him  lay  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  terrace- 
building  of  Hatasu,  and  before  him,  still  slumbering 
in  cool  dawn,  was  the  Necropolis  with  its  houses  and 
temples  and  colossal  statues,  the  broad  Nile  glistening 
with  white  sails  under  the  morning  mist ;  and,  in  the 
distant  east,  rosy  with  the  coming  sun,  stood  Thebes 
and  her  gigantic  temples. 

But  the  dwarf  saw  nothing  of  the  glorious  pano- 
rama that  lay  at  his  feet;  absorbed  in  thought,  and 
stooping  over  the  neck  of  his  ass,  he  let  the  panting 
beast  climb  and  rest  at  its  pleasure. 

When  he  had  reached  half  the  height  of  the  hill, 
he  perceived  the  sound  of  footsteps  coming  nearer  and 
nearer  to  him. 

The  vigorous  walker  had  soon  reached  him,  and 
bid  him  good  morning,  which  he  civilly  returned. 

The  hill-path  was  narrow,  and  when  Nemu  ob- 
served that  the  man  who  followed  him  was  a  priest, 
he  drew  up  his  donkey  on  a  level  spot,  and  said 
reverently — 

"  Pass  on,  holy  father;  for  thy  two  feet  carry  thee 
quicker  than  my  four." 

"A  sufferer  needs  my  help,"  replied  the  leech 
Nebsecht,  Pentaur's  friend,  whom  we  have  already 
seen  in  the  House  of  Seti,  and  by  the  bed  of  the 
paraschites'  daughter;  and  he  hastened  on  so  as  to 
gain  on  the  slow  pace  of  the  rider. 

Then  rose  the  glowing  disk  of  the  sun  above  the 
eastern  horizon,  and  from  the  sanctuaries  below  the 
travellers  rose  up  the  pious  many-voiced  chant  of 
praise. 

Nemu  slipped  off  his  ass,  and  assumed  an  attitude 
of  prayer ;  the  priest  did  the  same ;  but  while  the 


180  UARDA. 

dwarf  devoutly  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  new  birth  of  the 
Sun-God  from  the  eastern  range,  the  priest's  eyes 
wandered  to  the  earth,  and  his  raised  hand  fell  to 
pick  up  a  rare  fossil  shell  which  lay  on  the  path. 

In  a  few  minutes  Nebsecht  rose,  and  Nemu  fol- 
lowed him. 

"  It  is  a  fine  morning,"  said  the  dwarf;  "  the  holy 
fathers  down  there  seem  more  cheerful  to-day  than 
usual." 

The  surgeon  laughed  assent.  "  Do  you  belong  to 
the  Necropolis  ?"  he  said.  "  Who  here  keeps  dwarfs  ?" 

"  No  one,"  answered  the  little  man.  "  But  I  will 
ask  thee  a  question.  Who  that  lives  here  behind  the 
hill  is  of  so  much  importance,  that  a  leech  from  the 
House  of  Seti  sacrifices  his  night's  rest  for  him  ?" 

"  The  one  I  visit  is  mean,  but  the  suffering  is 
great,"  answered  Nebsecht. 

Nemu  looked  at  him  with  admiration,  and  muttered, 

"  That  is  noble,  that  is "  but  he  did  not  finish  his 

speech ;  he  struck  his  brow  and  exclaimed,  "  You  are 
going,  by  the  desire  of  the  Princess  Bent-Anat,  to  the 
child  of  the  paraschites  that  was  run  over.  I  guessed 
as  much.  The  food  must  have  an  excellent  after-taste, 
if  a  gentleman  rises  so  early  to  eat  it.  How  is  the 
poor  child  doing  ?" 

There  was  so  much  warmth  in  these  last  words 
that  Nebsecht,  who  had  thought  the  dwarf's  reproach 
uncalled  for,  answered  in  a  friendly  tone — 

"  Not  so  badly  ;  she  may  be  saved." 

"  The  Gods  be  praised !"  exclaimed  Nemu,  while 
the  priest  passed  on. 

Nebsecht  went  up  and  down  the  hillside  at  a  re- 
doubled pace,  and  had  long  taken  his  place  by  the 


UARDA.  l8l 

couch  of  the  wounded  Uarda  in  the  hovel  of  the  para- 
shites,  when  Nemu  drew  near  to  the  abode  of  his 
Mother  Hekt,  from  whom  Paaker  had  received  the 
philter. 

The  old  woman  sat  before  the  door  of  her  cave. 

Near  her  lay  a  board,  fitted  with  cross  pieces,  be- 
tween which  a  little  boy  was  stretched  in  such  a  way 
that  they  touched  his  head  and  his  feet. 

Hekt  understood  the  art  of  making  dwarfs;  play- 
things in  human  form  were  well  paid  for,  and  the  child 
on  the  rack,  with  his  pretty  little  face,  promised  to  be 
a  valuable  article. 

As  soon  as  the  sorceress  saw  some  one  approaching, 
she  stooped  over  the  child,  took  him  up  board  and  all 
in  her  arms,  and  carried  him  into  the  cave.  Then  she 
said  sternly: 

"If  you  move,  little  one,  I  will  flog  you.  Now  let 
me  tie  you." 

"Don't  tie  me,"  said  the  child,  "I  will  be  good 
and  lie  still." 

"Stretch  yourself  out,"  ordered  the  old  woman, 
and  tied  the  child  with  a  rope  to  the  board.  "If  you 
are  quiet,  I'll  give  you  a  honey-cake  by-and-bye,  and 
let  you  play  with  the  young  chickens." 

The  child  was  quiet,  and  a  soft  smile  of  delight 
and  hope  sparkled  in  his  pretty  eyes.  His  little  hand 
caught  the  dress  of  the  old  woman,  and  with  the 
sweetest  coaxing  tone,  which  God  bestows  on  the  inno- 
cent voices  of  children,  he  said: 

"  I  will  be  as  still  as  a  mouse,  and  no  one  shall 
know  that  I  am  here;  but  if  you  give  me  the  honey- 
cake  you  will  untie  me  for  a  little,  and  let  me  go  to 
Uarda." 


1 82  UARDA. 

"  She  is  ill ! — what  do  you  want  there  ?" 

"I  would  take  her  the  cake,"  said  the  child,  and 
his  eyes  glistened  with  tears. 

The  old  woman  touched  the  child's  chin  with  her 
finger,  and  some  mysterious  power  prompted  her  to 
bend  over  him  to  kiss  him.  But  before  her  lips  had 
touched  his  face  she  turned  away,  and  said,  in  a  hard 
tone: 

"  Lie  still !  by  and  bye  we  will  see."  Then  she 
stooped,  and  threw  a  brown  sack  over  the  child.  She 
went  back  into  the  open  air,  greeted  Nemu,  entertained 
him  with  milk,  bread  and  honey,  gave  him  news  of  the 
girl  who  had  been  run  over,  for  he  seemed  to  take 
her  misfortune  very  much  to  heart,  and  finally  asked: 

"What  brings  you  here?  The  Nile  was  still  narrow 
when  you  last  found  your  way  to  me,  and  now  it  has 
been  falling  some  time.*  Are  you  sent  by  your  mis- 
tress, or  do  you  want  my  help  ?  All  the  world  is  alike. 
No  one  goes  to  see  any  one  else  unless  he  wants  to 
make  use  of  him.  What  shall  I  give  you  ?" 

"I  want  nothing,"  said  the  dwarf,  "but — " 

"You  are  commissioned  by  a  third  person,"  said 
the  witch,  laughing.  "  It  is  the  same  thing.  Whoever 
wants  a  thing  for  some  one  else  only  thinks  of  his  own 
interest." 

"Maybe,"  said  Nemu.  "At  any  rate  your  words 
show  that  you  have  not  grown  less  wise  since  I  saw  you 
last — and  I  am  glad  of  it,  for  I  want  your  advice." 

*  This  is  the  beginning  of  November.  The  Nile  begins  slowly  to  rise 
early  in  June;  between  the  isth  and  2oth  of  July  it  suddenly  swells  rapidly,  and 
in  the  first  half  of  October,  not,  as  was  formerly  supposed,  at  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, the  inundation  reaches  its  highest  level.  Heinrich  Earth  established 
these  data  beyond  dispute.  After  the  water  has  begun  to  sink  it  rises  once 
more  in  October  and  to  a  higher  level  than  before.  Then  it  soon  falls,  at  first 
slowly,  but  by  degrees  quicker  and  quicker. 


UARDA.  183 

"Advice  is  cheap.  What  is  going  on  out  there  ?" 
Nemu  related  to  his  mother  shortly,  clearly,  and  with- 
out reserve,  what  was  plotting  in  his  mistress's  house, 
and  the  frightful  disgrace  with  which  she  was  threatened 
through  her  son. 

The  old  woman  shook  her  grey  head  thoughtfully 
several  times :  but  she  let  the  little  man  go  on  to  the 
end  of  his  story  without  interrupting  him.  Then  she 
asked,  and  her  eyes  flashed  as  she  spoke : 

"And  you  really  believe  that  you  will  succeed  in 
putting  the  sparrow  on  the  eagle's  perch — Ani  on  the 
throne  of  Rameses  ?" 

"  The  troops  fighting  in  Ethiopia  are  for  us,"  cried 
Nemu.  "The  priests  declare  themselves  against  the 
king,  and  recognize  in  Ani  the  genuine  blood  of  Ra." 

"That  is  much,"  said  the  old  woman. 

"And  many  dogs  are  the  death  of  the  gazelle," 
said  Nemu  laughing. 

"  But  Rameses  is  not  a  gazelle  to  run,  but  a 
lion,"  said  the  old  woman  gravely.  "  You  are  playing 
a  high  game." 

•'  We  know  it,"  answered  Nemu.  "  But  it  is  for 
high  stakes — there  is  much  to  win." 

"And  all  to  lose,"  muttered  the  old  woman,  passing 
her  fingers  round  her  scraggy  neck.  "  Well,  do  as  you 
please — it  is  all  the  same  to  me  who  it  is  sends  the 
young  to  be  killed,  and  drives  the  old  folks'  cattle  from 
the  field.  What  do  they  want  with  me  ?" 

"  No  one  has  sent  me,"  answered  the  dwarf.  "  I 
come  of  my  own  free  fancy  to  ask  you  what  Katuti 
must  do  to  save  her  son  and  her  house  from  dis- 
honor." 

"  Hm !"  hummed  the  witch,  looking  at  Nemu  while 


184  UARDA. 

she  raised  herself  on  her  stick.  "  What  has  come  to 
you  that  you  take  the  fate  of  these  great  people  to 
heart  as  if  it  were  your  own  ?" 

The  dwarf  reddened,  and  answered  hesitatingly — • 

"  Katuti  is  a  good  mistress,  and,  if  things  go  well  with 
her,  there  may  be  windfalls  for  you  and  me." 

Hekt  shook  her  head  doubtfully. 

"  A  loaf  for  you  perhaps,  and  a  crumb  for  me !"  she 
said.  "  There  is  more  than  that  in  your  mind,  and  I 
can  read  your  heart  as  if  you  were  a  ripped  up  raven, 
You  are  one  of  those  who  can  never  keep  their  fingers 
at  rest,  and  must  knead  everybody's  dough ;  must  push, 
and  drive  and  stir  something.  Every  jacket  is  too  tight 
for  you.  If  you  were  three  feet  taller,  and  the  son  of 
a  priest,  you  might  have  gone  far.  High  you  will  go, 
and  high  you  will  end ;  as  the  friend  of  a  king — or  on 
the  gallows." 

The  old  woman  laughed ;  but  Nemu  bit  his  lips, 
and  said : 

"  If  you  had  sent  me  to  school,  and  if  I  were  not 
the  son  of  a  witch,  and  a  dwarf,  I  would  play  with 
men  as  they  have  played  with  me ;  for  I  am  cleverer 
than  all  of  them,  and  none  of  their  plans  are  hidden 
from  me.  A  hundred  roads  lie  before  me,  when  they 
don't  know  whether  to  go  out  or  in  ;  and  where  they 
rush  heedlessly  forwards  I  see  the  abyss  that  they  are 
running  to." 

"And  nevertheless  you  come  to  me?"  said  the  old 
woman  sarcastically. 

"  I  want  your  advice,"  said  Nemu  seriously.  "  Four 
eyes  see  more  than  one,  and  the  impartial  looker-on 
sees  clearer  than  the  player;  besides  you  are  bound  to 
help  me." 


UARDA.  185 

The  old  woman  laughed  loud  in  astonishment. 
"  Bound !"  she  said,  "  I  ?  and  to  what  if  you  please  ?" 

"  To  help  me,"  replied  the  dwarf,  half  in  entreaty, 
and  half  in  reproach.  "  You  deprived  me  of  my  growth, 
and  reduced  me  to  a  cripple." 

"  Because  no  one  is  better  off  than  you  dwarfs," 
interrupted  the  witch. 

Nemu  shook  his  head,  and  answered  sadly — 

"  You  have  often  said  so — and  perhaps  for  many 
others,  who  are  born  in  misery  like  me — perhaps — you 
are  right;  but  for  me — you  have  spoilt  my  life;  you 
have  crippled  not  my  body  only  but  my  soul,  and  have 
condemned  me  to  sufferings  that  are  nameless  and  mv- 
utterable." 

The  dwarf's  big  head  sank  on  his  breast,  and  with 
his  left  hand  he  pressed  his  heart. 

The  old  woman  went  up  to  him  kindly. 

"  What  ails  you  ?"  she  asked,  "  I  thought  it  was  well 
with  you  in  Mena's  house." 

"  You  thought  so  ?"  cried  the  dwarf.  "  You  who 
show  me  as  in  a  mirror  what  I  am,  and  how  mys- 
terious powers  throng  and  stir  in  me  ?  You  made  me 
what  I  am  by  your  arts ;  you  sold  me  to  the  treasurer 
of  Rameses,  and  he  gave  me  to  the  father  of  Mena, 
his  brother-in-law.  Fifteen  years  ago  !  I  was  a  young 
man  then,  a  youth  like  any  other,  only  more  passionate, 
more  restless,  and  fiery  than  they.  I  was  given  as  a 
plaything  to  the  young  Mena,  and  he  harnessed  me  to 
his  little  chariot,  and  dressed  me  out  with  ribbons  and 
feathers,  and  flogged  me  when  I  did  not  go  fast  enough. 
How  the  girl — for  whom  I  would  have  given  my  life — 
the  porter's  daughter,  laughed  when  I,  dressed  up  in 
motley,  hopped  panting  in  front  of  the  chariot,  and  the 
'3 


1 86  UARDA. 

young  lord's  whip  whistled  in  my  ears  wringing  the  sweat 
from  my  brow,  and  the  blood  from  my  broken  heart. 
Then  Mena's  father  died,  the  boy  went  to  school,  and  I 
waited  on  the  wife  of  his  steward,  whom  Katuti  ban- 
ished to  Hermonthis.  That  was  a  time!  The  little 
daughter  of  the  house  made  a  doll*  of  me,  laid  me  in 
the  cradle,  and  made  me  shut  my  eyes  and  pretend  to 
sleep,  while  love  and  hatred,  and  great  projects  were 
strong  within  me.  If  I  tried  to  resist  they  beat  me  with 
rods;  and  when  once,  in  a  rage,  I  forgot  myself,  and 
hit  little  Mertitefs  hard,  Mena,  who  came  in,  hung  me 
up  in  the  store-room  to  a  nail  by  my  girdle,  and  left  me 
to  swing  there;  he  said  he  had  forgotten  to  take  me 
down  again.  The  rats  fell  upon  me ;  here  are  the  scars, 
these  little  white  spots  here — look !  They  perhaps  will 
some  day  wear  out,  but  the  wounds  that  my  spirit  re- 
ceived in  those  hours  have  not  yet  ceased  to  bleed. 
Then  Mena  married  Nefert,  and,  with  her,  his  mother- 
in-law,  Katuti,  came  into  the  house.  She  took  me  from 
the  steward,  I  became  indispensable  to  her;  she  treats 
me  like  a  man,  she  values  my  intelligence  and  listens  to 
my  advice, — therefore  I  will  make  her  great,  and  with 
her,  and  through  her,  I  will  wax  mighty.  If  Ani  mounts 
the  throne,  we  will  guide  him — you,  and  I,  and  she ! 
Rameses  must  fall,  and  with  him  Mena,  the  boy  who 
degraded  my  body  and  poisoned  my  soul ! " 

During  this  speech  the  old  woman  had  stood  in 
silence  opposite  the  dwarf.  Now  she  sat  down  on  her 
rough  wooden  seat,  and  said,  while  she  proceeded  to 
pluck  a  lapwing: 

"  Now  I  understand  you ;  you  wish  to  be  revenged. 

*  Dolls  belonging  to  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs  are  preserved  in  the  museums, 
for  instance,  the  jointed  ones  at  Leyden. 


UARDA.  187 

You  hope  to  rise  high,  and  I  am  to  whet  your  knife, 
and  hold  the  ladder  for  you.  Poor  little  man  !  there,  sit 
down — drink  a  gulp  of  milk  to  cool  you,  and  listen  to  my 
advice.  Katuti  wants  a  great  deal  of  money  to  escape 
dishonor.  She  need  only  pick  it  up — it  lies  at  her  door." 

The  dwarf  looked  at  the  witch  in  astonishment. 

"  The  Mohar  Paaker  is  her  sister  Setchem's  son.  Is 
he  not  ?" 

"  As  you  say." 

"  Katuti's  daughter  Nefert  is  the  wife  of  your  master 
Mena,  and  another  would  like  to  tempt  the  neglected 
little  hen  into  his  yard." 

"  You  mean  Paaker,  to  whom  Nefert  was  promised 
before  she  went  after  Mena." 

"  Paaker  was  with  me  the  day  before  yesterday." 

"  With  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  with  me,  with  old  Hekt — to  buy  a  love  philter. 
I  gave  him  one,  and  as  I  was  curious  I  went  after  him, 
saw  him  give  the  water  to  the  little  lady,  and  found  out 
her  name." 

"  And  Nefert  drank  the  magic  drink  ? "  asked  the 
dwarf  horrified. 

"  Vinegar  and  turnip  juice,"  laughed  the  old  witch. 
"  A  lord  who  comes  to  me  to  win  a  wife  is  ripe  for  any- 
thing. Let  Nefert  ask  Paaker  for  the  money,  and  the 
young  scapegrace's  debts  are  paid." 

"  Katuti  is  proud,  and  repulsed  me  severely  when  I 
proposed  this." 

"  Then  she  must  sue  to  Paaker  herself  for  the  money. 
Go  back  to  him,  make  him  hope  that  Nefert  is  inclined 
to  him,  tell  him  what  distresses  the  ladies,  and  if  he  re- 
fuses, but  only  if  he  refuses,  let  him  see  that  you  know 
something  of  the  little  dose." 


l88  UARDA. 

The  dwarf  looked  meditatively  on  the  ground,  and 
then  said,  looking  admiringly  at  the  old  woman :  "  That 
is  the  right  thing." 

"  You  will  find  out  the  lie  without  my  telling  you," 
mumbled  the  witch;  "your  business  is  not  perhaps  such  a 
bad  one  as  it  seemed  to  me  at  first.  Katuti  may  thank 
the  ne'er-do-well  who  staked  his  father's  corpse.  You 
don't  understand  me  ?  Well,  if  you  are  really  the  sharp- 
est of  them  all  over  there,  what  must  the  others  be  ?  " 

"  You  mean  that  people  will  speak  well  of  my  mis- 
tress for  sacrificing  so  large  a  sum  for  the  sake —  ?" 

"  Whose  sake  ?  why  speak  well  of  her  ?"  cried  the 
old  woman  impatiently.  "  Here  we  deal  with  other 
things,  with  actual  facts.  There  stands  Paaker — there 
the  wife  of  Mena.  If  the  Mohar  sacrifices  a  fortune 
for  Nefert,  he  will  be  her  master,  and  Katuti  will  not 
stand  in  his  way ;  she  knows  well  enough  why  her 
nephew  pays  for  her.  But  some  one  else  stops  the 
way,  and  that  is  Mena.  It  is  worth  while  to  get  him 
out  of  the  .way.  The  charioteer  stands  close  to  the 
Pharaoh,  and  the  noose  that  is  flung  at  one  may  easily 
fall  round  the  neck  of  the  other  too.  Make  the  Mohar 
your  ally,  and  it  may  easily  happen  that  your  rat-bites 
may  be  paid  for  with  mortal  wounds,  and  Rameses 
who,  if  you  marched  against  him  openly,  might  blow 
you  to  the  ground,  may  be  hit  by  a  lance  thrown  from 
an  ambush.  When  the  throne  is  clear,  the  weak  legs  of 
the  Regent  may  succeed  in  clambering  up  to  it  with  the 
help  of  the  priests.  Here  you  sit — open-mouthed;  and 
I  have  told  you  nothing  that  you  might  not  have  found 
out  for  yourself." 

"  You  are  a  perfect  cask  of  wisdom  !  "  exclaimed  the 
dwarf. 


UARDA.  189 

"  And  now  you  will  go  away,"  said  Hekt,  "  and 
reveal  your  schemes  to  your  mistress  and  the  Regent, 
and  they  will  be  astonished  at  your  cleverness.  To-day 
you  still  know  that  I  have  shown  you  what  you  have 
to  do ;  to-morrow  you  will  have  forgotten  it ;  and  the 
day  after  to-morrow  you  will  believe  yourself  possessed 
by  the  inspiration  of  the  nine  great  Gods.  I  know  that ; 
but  I  cannot  give  anything  for  nothing.  You  live  by 
your  smallness,  another  makes  his  living  with  his  hard 
hands,  I  earn  my  scanty  bread  by  the  thoughts  of  my 
brain.  Listen  !  when  you  have  half  won  Paaker,  and 
Am  shows  himself  inclined  to  make  use  of  him,  then  say 
to  him  that  I  may  know  a  secret — and  I  do  know  one, 
I  alone — which  may  make  the  Mohar  the  sport  of  his 
wishes,  and  that  I  may  be  disposed  to  sell  it." 

"  That  shall  be  done !  certainly,  mother,"  cried  the 
dwarf.  "  What  do  you  wish  for  ?  " 

"  Very  little,"  said  the  old  woman.  "  Only  a  permit 
that  makes  me  free  to  do  and  to  practise  whatever  I 
please,  unmolested  even  by  the  priests,  and  to  receive 
an  honorable  burial  after  my  death." 

"  The  Regent  will  hardly  agree  to  that ;  for  he  must 
avoid  everything  that  may  offend  the  servants  of  the 
Gods." 

"And  do  everything,"  retorted  the  old  woman,  "that 
can  degrade  Rameses  in  their  sight.  Ani,  do  you  hear, 
need  not  write  me  a  new  license,  but  only  renew  the  old 
one  granted  to  me  by  Rameses  when  I  cured  his  favor- 
ite horse.  They  burnt  it  with  my  other  possessions, 
when  they  plundered  my  house,  and  denounced  me  and 
my  belongings  for  sorcery.  The  permit  of  Rameses  is 
what  I  want,  nothing  more." 

"  You  shall  have  it,"  said  the  dwarf.     "  Good-by ;  I 


19°  UARDA. 

am  charged  to  look  into  the  tomb  of  our  house,  and 
see  whether  the  offerings  for  the  dead  are  regularly 
set  out;  to  pour  out  fresh  essences  and  have  various 
things  renewed.  When  Sechet  has  ceased  to  rage,  and 
it  is  cooler,  I  shall  come  by  here  again,  for  I  should 
like  to  call  on  the  paraschites,  and  see  how  the  poor 
child  is." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DURING  this  conversation  two  men  had  been  busily 
occupied,  in  front  of  the  paraschites'  hut,  in  driving 
piles  into  the  the  earth,  and  stretching  a  torn  linen  cloth 
upon  them. 

One  of  them,  old  Pinem,  whom  we  have  seen 
tending  his  grandchild,  requested  the  other  from  time 
to  time  to  consider  the  sick  girl  and  to  work  less 
noisily. 

After  they  had  finished  their  simple  task,  and  spread 
a  couch  of  fresh  straw  under  the  awning,  they  too  sat 
down  on  the  earth,  and  looked  at  the  hut  before  which 
the  surgeon  Nebsecht  was  sitting  waiting  till  the  sleep- 
ing girl  should  wake. 

"  Who  is  that  ?"  asked  the  leech  of  the  old  man, 
pointing  to  his  young  companion,  a  tall  sunburnt  soldier 
with  a  bushy  red  beard. 

"  My  son,"  replied  the  paraschites,  "  who  is  just  re- 
turned from  Syria." 

"  Uarda's  father  ?"  asked  Nebsecht. 

The  soldier  nodded  assent,  and  said  with  a  rough 
voice,  but  not  without  cordiality  : 

"  No  one  could  guess  it   by  looking  at  us — she  is 


UARDA.  IQI 

so  white  and  rosy.  Her  mother  was  a  foreigner,  and  she 
has  turned  out  as  delicate  as  she  was.  I  am  afraid 
to  touch  her  with  my  little  finger — and  there  comes  a 
chariot  over  the  brittle  doll,  and  does  not  quite  crush 
her,  for  she  is  still  alive." 

"  Without  the  help  of  this  holy  father,"  said  the 
paraschites,  approaching  the  surgeon,  and  kissing  his 
robe,  "  you  would  never  have  seen  her  alive  again. 
May  the  Gods  reward  thee  for  what  thou  hast  done  for 
us  poor  folks !" 

"  And  we  can  pay  too,"  cried  the  soldier,  slapping 
a  full  purse  that  hung  at  his  gridle.  "  We  have  taken 
plunder  in  Syria,  and  I  will  buy  a  calf,  and  give  it  to 
thy  temple." 

"  Offer  a  beast  of  dough,*  lather,"  replied  Neb- 
secht,  "  and  if  you  wish  to  show  yourself  grateful  to 
me,  give  the  money  to  your  father,  so  that  he  may  feed 
and  nurse  your  child  in  accordance  with  my  instruc- 
tions." 

"  Hm,"  murmured  the  soldier;  he  took  the  purse 
from  his  girdle,  flourished  it  in  his  hand,  and  said,  as  he 
handed  it  to  the  paraschites : 

"  I  should  have  liked  to  drink  it !  but  take  it,  father, 
for  the  child  and  my  mother." 

While  the  old  man  hesitatingly  put  out  his  hand  for 
the  rich  gift,  the  soldier  recollected  himself  and  said, 
opening  the  purse : 

"  Let  me  take  out  a  few  rings,  for  to-day  I  cannot 
go  dry.  I  have  two  or  three  comrades  lodging  in  the 
red  Tavern.  That  is  right.  There. — take  the  rest  of  the 
rubbish." 


192  UARDA. 

Nebsecht  nodded  approvingly  at  the  soldier,  and 
he,  as  his  father  gratefully  kissed  the  surgeon's  hand, 
exclaimed : 

"  Maka  the  little  one  sound,  holy  father !  It  is  all 
over  with  gifts  and  offerings,  for  I  have  nothing  left ; 
but  there  are  two  iron  fists  and  a  breast  like  the  wall 
of  a  fortress.  If  at  any  time  thou  dost  want  help, 
call  me,  and  I  will  protect  thee  against  twenty  enemies. 
Thou  hast  saved  my  child — good !  Life  for  life.  I 
sign  myself  thy  blood-ally — there." 

With  these  words  he  drew  his  poniard  out  of  his 
girdle.  He  scratched  his  arm,  and  let  a  few  drops  of 
his  blood  run  down  on  a  stone  at  the  feet  of  Nebsecht 
— "  Look,"  he  said.  "  There  is  my  bond,  Kaschta  has 
signed  himself  thine,  and  thou  canst  dispose  of  my  life 
as  of  thine  own.  What  I  have  said,  I  have  said." 

"  I  am  a  man  of  peace,"  Nebsecht  stammered, 
"And  my  white  robe  protects  me.  But  I  believe  our 
patient  is  awake." 

The  physician  rose,  rnd  entered  the  hut. 

Uarda's  pretty  head  lay  on  her  grandmother's  lap, 
and  her  large  blue  eyes  turned  contentedly  on  the 
priest. 

"  She  might  get  up  and  go  out  into  the  air,"  said 
the  old  woman.  "  She  has  slept  long  and  soundly." 

The  surgeon  examined  her  pulse,  and  her  wound, 
on  which  green  leaves  were  laid. 

"  Excellent,"  he  said ;  "  who  gave  you  this  healing 
herb  ?" 

The  old  woman  shuddered,  and  hesitated ;  but 
Uarda  said  fearlessly  ;  "  Old  Hekt,  who  lives  over  there 
in  the  black  cave." 

"The  witch!"  muttered  Nebsecht.       "But   we  will 


UARDA.  .  193 

let  the  leaves  remain ;  if  they  do  good,  it  is  no  matter 
where  they  came  from." 

"  Hekt  tasted  the  drops  thou  didst  give  her,"  said 
the  old  woman,  "  and  agreed  that  they  were  good." 

"  Then  we  are  satisfied  with  each  other,"  answered 
Nebsecht,  with  a  smile  of  amusement.  "  We  will  carry 
you  now  into  the  open  air,  little  maid ;  for  the  air  in 
here  is  as  heavy  as  lead,  and  your  damaged  lung  re- 
quires lighter  nourishment." 

"  Yes,  let  me  go  out,"  said  the  girl.  "  It  is  well 
that  thou  hast  not  brought  back  the  other  with  thee, 
who  tormented  me  with  his  vows." 

"You  mean  blind  Teta,"  said  Nebsecht,  "he  will 
not  come  again ;  but  the  young  priest  who  soothed 
your  father,  when  he  repulsed  the  princess,  will  visit 
you.  He  is  kindly  disposed,  and  you  should — you 
should — " 

"  Pentaur  will  come  ?"  said  the  girl  eagerly. 

"  Before  midday.   But  how  do  you  know  his  name?" 

"  I  know  him,"  said  Uarda  decidedly. 

The  surgeon  looked  at  her  surprised. 

"  You  must  not  talk  any  more,"  he  said,  "  for  your 
cheeks  are  glowing,  and  the  fever  may  return.  We  have 
arranged  a  tent  for  you,  and  now  we  will  carry  you 
into  the  open  air." 

"  Not  yet,"  said  the  girl.  "  Grandmother,  do  my 
hair  for  me,  it  is  so  heavy." 

With  these  words  she  endeavored  to  part  her 
mass  of  long  reddish-brown  hair  with  her  slender 
hands,  and  to  free  it  from  the  straws  that  had  got  en- 
tangled in  it. 

"  Lie  still,"  said  the  surgeon,  in  a  warning  voice. 

"  But  it  is  so  heavy,"  said  the  sick  girl,  smiling  and 

Uarda.     I. 


194  UARDA. 

showing  Nebsecht  her  abundant  wealth  of  golden  hair 
as  if  it  were  a  fatiguing  burden.  "  Come,  grandmother, 
and  help  me." 

The  old  woman  leaned  over  the  child,  and  combed 
her  long  locks  carefully  with  a  coarse  comb  made  of 
grey  horn,  gently  disengaged  the  straws  from  the 
golden  tangle,  and  at  last  laid  two  thick  long  plaits  on 
her  granddaughter's  shoulders. 

Nebsecht  knew  that  every  movement  of  the 
wounded  girl  might  do  mischief,  and  his  impulse  was 
to  stop  the  old  woman's  proceedings,  but  his  tongue 
seemed  spell-bound.  Surprised,  motionless,  and  with 
crimson  cheeks,  he  stood  opposite  the  girl,  and  his 
eyes  followed  every  movement  of  her  hands  with 
anxious  observation. 

She  did  not  notice  him. 

When  the  old  woman  laid  down  the  comb  Uarda 
drew  a  long  breath. 

"Grandmother,"  she  said,  "  give  me  the  mirror." 

The  old  woman  brought  a  shard  of  dimly  glazed, 
baked  clay.  The  girl  turned  to  the  light,  contemplated 
the  undefined  reflection  for  a  moment,  and  said : 

"  I  have  not  seen  a  flower  for  so  long,  grand- 
mother." 

"  Wait,  child,"  she  replied ;  she  took  from  a  jug 
the  rose,  which  the  princess  had  laid  on  the  bosom  of 
her  grandchild,  and  offered  it  to  her.  Before  Uarda 
could  take  it,  the  withered  petals  fell,  and  dropped 
upon  her.  The  surgeon  stooped,  gathered  them  up, 
and  put  them  into  the  child's  hand. 

"  Ho'v  good  you  are!"  she  said;  '-'I  am  called 
Uarda — like  this  flower — and  I  love  roses  and  the 
fresh  air.  Will  you  carry  me  out  now  ?" 


UARDA.  195 

Nebsecht  called  the  paraschites,  who  came  into 
the  hut  with  his  son,  and  they  carried  the  girl  out 
into  the  air,  and  laid  her  under  the  humble  tent  they 
had  contrived  for  her.  The  soldier's  knees  trembled 
while  he  held  the  light  burden  of  his  daughter's 
weight  in  his  strong  hands,  and  he  sighed  when  he  laid 
her  down  on  the  mat. 

"  How  blue  the  sky  is  !•"  cried  Uarda.  "  Ah  !  grand- 
father has  watered  my  pomegranate,  I  thought  so !  and 
there  come  my  doves !  give  me  some  corn  in  my 
hand,  grandmother.  How  pleased  they  are." 

The  graceful  bird's,  with  black  rings  round  their 
reddish-grey  necks,  flew  confidingly  to  her,  and  took 
the  corn  that  she  playfully  laid  between  her  lips. 

Nebsecht  looked  on  with  astonishment  at  this 
pretty  play.  He  felt  as  if  a  new  world  had  opened  to 
him,  and  some  new  sense,  hitherto  unknown  to  him, 
had  been  revealed  to  him  within  his  breast.  He 
silently  sat  down  in  front  of  the  hut,  and  drew  the  pic- 
ture of  a  rose  on  the  sand  with  a  reed-stem  that  he 
picked  up. 

Perfect  stillness  was  around  him ;  the  doves  even 
had  flown  up,  and  settled  on  the  roof.  Presently  the 
dog  barked,  steps  approached ;  Uarda  lifted  herself  up 
and  said : 

"  Grandmother,  it  is  the  priest  Pentaur." 

"Who  told  you  ?"  asked  the  old  woman. 

"  I  know  it,"  answered  the  girl  decidedly,  and  in  a 
few  moments  a  sonorous  voice  cried :  "  Good  day  to 
you.  How  is  your  invalid  ?" 

Pentaur  was  soon  standing  by  Uarda ;  pleased  to 
hear  Nebsecht's  good  report,  and  with  the  sweet  face 
of  the  girl.  He  had  some  flowers  in  his  hand,  that  a 


196  UARDA. 

happy  maiden  had  laid  on  the  altar  of  the  Goddess 
Hathor,  which  he  had  served  since  the  previous  day, 
and  he  gave  them  to  the  sick  girl,  who  took  them  with 
a  blush,  and  held  them  between  her  clasped  hands. 

"  The  great  Goddess  whom  I  serve  sends  you 
these,"  said  Pentaur,  "  and  they  will  bring  you  heal- 
ing. Continue  to  resemble  them.  You  are  pure  and 
fair  like  them,  and  your  course  henceforth  may  be  like 
theirs.  As  the  sun  gives  life  to  the  grey  horizon,  so  you 
bring  joy  to  this  dark  hut.  Preserve  your  innocence, 
and  wherever  you  go  you  will  bring  love,  as  flowers 
spring  in  every  spot  that  is  trodden  by  the  golden  foot 
of  Hathor.*  May  her  blessing  rest  upon  you!" 

He  had  spoken  the  last  words  half  to  the  old 
couple  and  half  to  Uarda,  and  was  already  turning  to 
depart  when,  behind  a  heap  of  dried  reeds  that  lay 
close  to  the  awning  over  the  girl,  the  bitter  cry  of  a 
child  was  heard,  and  a  little  boy  came  forward  who 
held,  as  high  as  he  could  reach,  a  little  cake,  of  which 
the  dog,  who  seemed  to  know  him  well,  had  snatched 
half. 

"  How  do  you  come  here,  Scherau  ?"  the  paraschites 
asked  the  weeping  boy;  the  unfortunate  child  that 
Hekt  was  bringing  up  as  a  dwarf. 

"  I  wanted,"  sobbed  the  little  one,  "  to  bring  the 
cake  to  Uarda.  She  is  ill — I  had  so  much — " 

"  Poor  child,"  said  the  paraschites,  stroking  the  boy's 
hair;  "there — give  it  to  Uarda." 

Scherau  went  up  to  the  sick  girl,  knelt  down  by  her, 
and  whispered  with  streaming  eyes  : 

"  Take  it !     It  is  good,  and  very  sweet,  and  if  I  get 


UARDA.  197 

another  cake,  and  Hekt  will  let  me  out,  I  will  bring  it  to 
you." 

"Thank  you,  good  little  Scherau,"  said  Uarda, 
kissing  the  child.  Then  she  turned  to  Pentaur  and 
said  : 

"  For  weeks  he  has  had  nothing  but  papyrus-pith,* 
and  lotus-bread,*  and  now  he  brings  me  the  cake  which 
grandmother  gave  old  Hekt  yesterday." 

The  child  blushed  all  over,  and  stammered  : 

"  It  is  only  half — but  I  did  not  touch  it.  Your  dog 
bit  out  this  piece,  and  this." 

He  touched  the  honey  with  the  tip  of  his  finger,  and 
put  it  to  his  lips.  "  I  was  a  long  time  behind  the  reeds 
there,  for  I  did  not  like  to  come  out  because  of  the 
strangers  there."  He  pointed  to  Nebsecht  and  Pentaur. 
"  But  now  I  must  go  home,"  he  cried. 

The  child  was  going,  but  Pentaur  stopped  him,  seized 
him,  lifted  him  up  in  his  arms  and  kissed  him  ;  saying,  as 
he  turned  to  Nebsecht : 

"  They  were  wise,  who  represented  Horns — the  sym- 
bol of  the  triumph  of  good  over  evil  and  of  purity  over 
the  impure — in  the  form  of  a  child.  Bless  you,  my  little 
friend  ;  be  good,  and  always  give  away  what  you  have 
to  make  others  happy.  It  will  not  make  your  house 
rich — but  it  will  your  heart !" 

Scherau  clung  to  the  priest,  and  involuntarily  raised 

*  According  to  Herodotus  II.  92.,  Diodorus  I.  80.,  Pliny  xni.  10.  The 
Kgyptians  eat  the  lower  part  of  the  stem  of  the  papyrus,  at  any  rate  the  pith  of 
;t ;  by  preference  when  it  had  been  dried  in  the  oven.  Herodotus  also  tells  us 
that  "  they  pound  the  seeds  of  the  lotus  which  resembles  a  poppy,  and  make 
bread  of  it. "  As  we  see  from  the  monuments  that  enormous  quantities  of  lotus 
plants  grew  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  the  statement  of  Diodorus  that  a  child,  till 
it  was  grown  up,  cost  its  parents  no  more  than  20  drachma; — about  15  shillings — 
is  quite  credible  The  papyrus  has  wholly  disappeared  from  Egypt,  but  this  is 
not  the  case  with  the  lotus  plant,  which  Dr.  Rohrbach  frequently  found,  and 
sent  to  Germany  in  1856.  At  Damietta  he  saw  peasants  eat  the  roots  of  the 
white,  and  the  seeds  of  the  white  and  blue  lotus. 


198  UARDA. 

his  little  hand  to  stroke  Pentaur's  cheek.  An  unknown 
tenderness  had  filled  his  little  heart,  and  he  felt  as  if 
he  must  throw  his  arms  round  the  poet's  neck  and  cry 
upon  his  breast. 

But  Pentaur  set  him  down  on  the  ground,  and  he 
trotted  down  into  the  valley.  There  he  paused.  The 
sun  was  high  in  the  heavens,  and  he  must  return  to  the 
witch's  cave  and  his  board,  but  he  would  so  much  like 
to  go  a  little  farther — only  as  far  as  to  the  king's  tomb, 
which  was  quite  near. 

Close  by  the  door  of  this  tomb  was  a  thatch  of 
palm-branches,  and  under  this  the  sculptor  Batau,  a 
very  aged  man,  was  accustomed  to  rest.  The  old  man 
was  deaf,  but  he  passed  for  the  best  artist  of  his  time, 
and  with  justice;  he  had  designed  the  beautiful  pic- 
tures and  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  in  Seti's  splendid 
buildings  at  Abydos  and  Thebes,  as  well  as  in  the  tomb 
of  that  prince,  and  he  was  now  working  at  the  decora- 
tion of  the  walls  in  the  grave  of  Rameses. 

Scherau  had  often  crept  close  up  to  him,  and  thought- 
fully watched  him  at  work,  and  then  tried  himself  to 
make  animal  and  human  figures  out  of  a  bit  of  clay. 

One  day  the  old  man  had  observed  him. 

The  sculptor  had  silently  taken  his  humble  attempt 
out  of  his  hand,  and  had  returned  it  to  him  with  a 
smile  of  encouragement. 

From  that  time  a  peculiar  tie  had  sprung  up  be- 
tween the  two.  Scherau  would  venture  to  sit  down  by 
the  sculptor,  and  try  to  imitate  his  finished  images. 
Not  a  word  was  exchanged  between  them,  but  often 
the  deaf  old  man  would  destroy  the  boy's  works,  often 
on  the  contrary  improve  them  with  a  touch  of  his 


UARDA.  199 

own  hand,  and  not  seldom  nod  at  him  to  encourage 
him. 

When  he  staid  away  the  old  man  missed  his  pupil, 
and  Scherau's  happiest  hours  were  those  which  he  passed 
at  his  side. 

He  was  not  forbidden  to  take  some  clay  home  with 
him.  There,  when  the  old  woman's  back  was  turned, 
he  moulded  a  variety  of  images  which  he  destroyed  as 
soon  as  they  were  finished. 

While  he  lay  on  his  rack  his  hands  were  left  free,  and 
he  tried  to  reproduce  the  various  forms  which  lived  in 
his  imagination,  he  forgot  the  present  in  his  artistic  at- 
tempts, and  his  bitter  lot  acquired  a  flavor  of  the  sweet- 
est enjoyment. 

But  to-day  it  was  too  late ;  he  must  give  up  his  visit 
to  the  tomb  of  Rameses. 

Once  more  he  looked  back  at  the  hut,  and  then  hur- 
ried into  the  dark  cave. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PENTAUR  also  soon  quitted  the  hut  of  the  para- 
schites. 

Lost  in  meditation,  he  went  along  the  hill-path  which 
led  to  the  temple*  which  Ameni  had  put  under  his  direc- 
tion. 

He  foresaw  many  disturbed  and  anxious  hours  in  the 
immediate  future. 

The  sanctuary  of  which  he  was  the  superior,  had  been 

*  This  temple  is  well  proportioned,  and  remains  in  good  preservation. 
Copies  of  the  interesting  pictures  discovered  in  it  are  to  be  found  in  the  "  Fleet 
of  an  Egyptian  queen"  by  Dumichen.  Other  details  may  be  found  in  Lepsius' 
Monuments  of  Kgypt,  and  a  plan  of  the  place  has  recently  been  published  by 
Mariette. 


200  UARDA. 

dedicated  to  her  own  memory,  and  to  the  goddess 
Hathor,  by  Hatasu,*  a  great  queen  of  the  dethroned 
dynasty. 

The  priests  who  served  it  were  endowed  with  pe- 
culiar chartered  privileges,  which  hitherto  had  been 
strictly  respected.  Their  dignity  was  hereditary,  going 
down  from  father  to  son,  and  they  had  the  right  of 
choosing  their  director  from  among  themselves. 

Now  their  chief  priest  Rui  was  ill  and  dying,  and 
Ameni,  under  whose  jurisdiction  they  came,  had,  with- 
out consulting  them,  sent  the  young  poet  Pentaur  to  fill 
his  place. 

They  had  received  the  intruder  most  unwillingly, 
and  combined  strongly  against  him  when  it  became 
evident  that  he  was  disposed  to  establish  a  severe  rule 
and  to  abolish  many  abuses  which  had  become  estab- 
lished customs. 

They  had  devolved  the  greeting  of  the  rising  sun 
on  the  temple-servants;  Pentaur  required  that  the  younger 
ones  at  least  should  take  part  in  chanting  the  morning 
hymn,  and  himself  led  the  choir.  They  had  trafficked 
with  the  offerings  laid  on  the  altar  of  the  Goddess ;  the 
new  master  repressed  this  abuse,  as  well  as  the  extor- 
tions of  which  they  were  guilty  towards  women  in  sorrow, 
who  visited  the  temple  of  Hathor  in  greater  .number 
than  any  other  sanctuary. 

The  poet — brought  up  in  the  temple  of  Seti  to  self- 
control,  order,  exactitude,  and  decent  customs,  deeply 
penetrated  with  a  sense  of  the  dignity  of  his  position, 
and  accustomed  to  struggle  with  special  zeal  against 

*  The  daughter  of  Thotmes  I.,  wife  of  her  brother  Thotmes  II.,  and  prede- 
cessor of  her  second  brother  Thotmus  III.  An  energetic  woman  who  executed 
great  works,  and  caused  herself  to  be  represented  with  the  helmet  and  beard- 
case  of  a  man. 


UARDA.  201 

indolence  of  body  and  spirit — was  disgusted  with  the 
slothful  life  and  fraudulent  dealings  of  his  subordinates  ; 
and  the  deeper  insight  which  yesterday's  experience 
had  given  him  into  the  poverty  and  sorrow  of  human 
existence,  made  him  resolve  with  increased  warmth  that 
he  would  awake  them  to  a  new  life. 

The  conviction  that  the  lazy  herd  whom  he  com- 
manded was  called  upon  to  pour  consolation  into  a 
thousand  sorrowing  hearts,  to  dry  innumerable  tears, 
and  to  clothe  the  dry  sticks  of  despair  with  the  fresh 
verdure  of  hope,  urged  him  to  strong  measures. 

Yesterday  he  had  seen  how,  with  calm  indifference, 
they  had  listened  to  the  deserted  wife,  the  betrayed 
maiden,  to  the  woman,  who  implored  the  withheld  bless- 
ing of  children,  to  the  anxious  mother,  the  forlorn 
widow, — and  sought  only  to  take  advantage  of  sorrow, 
to  extort  gifts  for  the  Goddess,  or  better  still  for  their 
own  pockets  or  belly. 

Now  he  was  nearing  the  scene  of  his  new  labors. 

There  stood  the  reverend  building,  rising  stately 
from  the  valley  on  four  terraces  handsomely  and  singularly 
divided,  and  resting  on  the  western  side  against  the 
high  amphitheatre  of  yellow  cliffs. 

On  the  closely-joined  foundation  stones  gigantic 
hawks  were  carved  in  relief,  each  with  the  emblem  of 
life,  and  symbolized  Horus,  the  son  of  the  Goddess, 
who  brings  all  that  fades  to  fresh  bloom,  and  all  that 
dies  to  resurrection. 

On  each  terrace  stood  a  hall  open  to  the  east,  and 
supported  on  two  and  twenty  archaic*  pillars.  On  their 

*  Polygonal   pillars,    which    were   used   first    in    tomb-building    under    the 
12th  dynasty,    and  after  the  expulsion   of  tiie   Hyksos    under  the  kings  of  the 
iyth  and    i8th,   in   public  buildings;    but  under  the   subsequent  races    of  kings 
they  ceased  to  be  employed. 
T4 


202  UARUA. 

inner  walls  elegant  pictures  and  inscriptions  in  the  finest 
sculptured  work  recorded,  for  the  benefit  of  posterity, 
the  great  things  that  Hatasu  had  done  with  the  help  of 
the  Gods  of  Thebes. 

There  were  the  ships  which  she  had  to  send  to 
Punt*  to  enrich  Egypt  with  the  treasures  of  the  east; 
there  the  wonders  brought  to  Thebes  from  Arabia  might 
be  seen;  there  were  delineated  the  houses**  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  land  of  frankincense,  and  all  the 
fishes  of  the  Red  Sea,  in  distinct  and  characteristic  out- 
line.*** 

On  the  third  and  fourth  terraces  were  the  small 
adjoining  rooms  of  Hatasu  and  her  brothers  Thotmes 
II.  and  III.,  which  were  built  against  the  rock,  and  en- 
tered by  granite  doorways.  In  them  purifications  were 
accomplished,  the  images  of  the  Goddess  worshipped, 
and  the  more  distinguished  worshippers  admitted  to 
confess.  The  sacred  cows  of  the  Goddess  were  kept 
in  a  side-building. 

As  Pentaur  approached  the  great  gate  of  the  ter- 
race-temple, he  became  the  witness  of  a  scene  which 
filled  him  with  resentment. 

A  woman  implored  to  be  admitted  into  the  fore- 
court, to  pray  at  the  altar  of  the  Goddess  for  her  hus- 
band, who  was  very  ill,  but  the  sleek  gate-keeper  drove 
her  back  with  rough  words. 

"  It  is  written  up,"  said  he,  pointing  to  the  inscrip- 

*  Arabia ;  apparently  also  the  coast  of  east  Africa  south  of  Egypt  as  far  as 
Somali.  The  latest  of  the  lists  published  by  Mariette,  of  the  southern  nations 
conquered  by  Thotmes  III.,  mentions  it.  This  list  was  found  on  the  pylon  of 
the  temple  of  Karnak. 

**  They  stood  on  piles  and  were  entered  by  ladders. 

***  The   species  are  in    many  cases  distinguishable — Dr.   Db'nitz  has  named 
several. 


UARDA.  203 

tion  over  the  gate,  "  only  the  purified  may  set  their 
foot  across  this  threshold,  and  you  cannot  be  purified 
but  by  the  smoke  of  incense." 

"  Then  swing  the  censer  for  me,"  said  the  woman, 
"and  take  this  silver  ring — it  is  all  I  have." 

"  A  silver  ring !"  cried  the  porter,  indignantly. 
"  Shall  the  goddess  be  impoverished  for  your  sake ! 
The  grains  of  Anta,*  that  would  be  used  in  purifying 
you,  would  cost  ten  times  as  much." 

"But  I  have  no  more,"  replied  the  woman,  "my 
husband,  for  whom  I  come  to  pray,  is  ill ;  he  cannot 
work,  and  my  children — " 

"  You  fatten  them  up  and  deprive  the  goddess  of 
her  due,"  cried  the  gate-keeper.  "  Three  rings  down, 
or  I  shut  the  gate." 

"  Be  merciful,"  said  the  woman,  weeping.  "  What 
will  become  of  us  if  Hathor  does  not  help  my  hus- 
band ?" 

"  Will  our  goddess  fetch  the  doctor  ?"  asked  the 
porter.  "  She  has  something  to  do  besides  curing  sick 
starvelings.  Besides,  that  is  not  her  office.  Go  to 
Imhotep**  or  to  Chunsu  the  counsellor,***  or  to  the 
great  Techuti  herself,  who  helps  the  sick.  There  is  no 
quack  medicine  to  be  got  here." 

*  An  incense  frequently  mentioned. 

**  The  son  of  Ptah,  named  Asklepios  by  the  Greeks.  Memphis  was  the 
chief  city  of  his  worship ;  he  is  usually  represented  with  a  cap  on,  and  a  book 
on  his  knee.  There  are  fine  statues  of  him  at  Berlin,  the  Louvre,  and  other 
museums.  A  bronze  of  great  beauty  is  in  the  possession  of  Pastor  Haken  at 
Riga. 

***  The  third  of  the  Triad  of  Thebes :  he  is  identical  with  Toth,  and  fre- 
quently addressed  as  of  good  counsel  for  the  healing  of  the  sick.  His  great 
Temple  in  Thebes  (Karnak)  is  well  preserved.  In  the  time  of  the  2oth  dynasty 
A.  C.  1273  to  100,5,  his  statue  (according  to  a  passage  interpreted  by  E.  de 
Ronge)  was  sent  into  Asia  to  cure  the  sister  of  the  wife  of  Rameses  XII.,  an 
Asiatic  princess,  who  was  possessed  by  devils. 


204  UARDA. 

"  I  only  want  comfort  in  my  trouble,"  said  the 
woman. 

"  Comfort !"  laughed  the  gate-keeper,  measuring  the 
comely  young  woman  with  his  eye.  "  That  you  may 
have  cheaper." 

The  woman  turned  pale,  and  drew  back  from  the 
hand  the  man  stretched  out  towards  her. 

At  this  moment  Pentaur,  full  of  wrath,  stepped 
between  them. 

He  raised  his  hand  in  blessing  over  the  woman, 
who  bent  low  before  him,  and  said,  "  Whoever  calls 
fervently  on  the  Divinity  is  near  to  him.  You  are  pure. 
Enter." 

As  soon  as  she  had  disappeared  within  the  temple, 
the  priest  turned  to  the  gate-keeper  and  exclaimed : 

"  Is  this  how  you  serve  the  goddess,  is  this  how 
you  take  advantage  of  a  heart-wrung  woman  ?  Give 
me  the  keys  of  this  gate.  Your  office  is  taken  from 
you,  and  early  to-morrow  you  go  out  in  the  fields,  and 
keep  the  geese  of  Hathor." 

The  porter  threw  himself  on  his  knees  with  loud 
outcries ;  but  Pentaur  turned  his  back  upon  him,  entered 
the  sanctuary,  and  mounted  the  steps  which  led  to  his 
dwelling  on  the  third  terrace. 

A  few  priests  whom  he  passed  turned  their  backs 
upon  him,  others  looked  down  at  their  dinners,  eating 
noisily,  and  making  as  if  they  did  not  see  him.  They 
had  combined  strongly,  and  were  determined  to  expel 
the  inconvenient  intruder  at  any  price. 

Having  reached  his  room,  which  had  been  splen- 
didly decorated  for  his  predecessor,  Pentaur  laid  aside 
his  new  insignia,  comparing  sorrowfully  the  past  and 
the  present. 


UARDA.  205 

To  what  an  exchange  Ameni  had  condemned  him  ! 

Here,  wherever  he  looked,  he  met  with  sulkiness  and 
aversion ;  while,  when  he  walked  through  the  courts  of 
the  House  of  Seti,  a  hundred  boys  would  hurry  towards 
him,  and  cling  affectionately  to  his  robe.  Honored  there 
by  great  and  small,  his  every  word  had  had  its  value ;  and 
when  each  day  he  gave  utterance  to  his  thoughts,  what 
he  bestowed  came  back  to  him  refined  by  earnest  dis- 
course with  his  associates  and  superiors,  and  he  gained 
new  treasures  for  his  inner  life. 

"  What  is  rare,"  thought  he,  "  is  full  of  charm ;  and 
yet  how  hard  it  is  to  do  without  what  is  habitual !" 

The  occurrences  of  the  last  few  days  passed  before 
his  mental  sight.  Bent-Anat's  image  appeared  before  him, 
and  took  a  more  and  more  distinct  and  captivating  form. 
His  heart  began  to  beat  wildly,  the  blood  rushed  faster 
through  his  veins;  he  hid  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  re- 
called every  glance,  every  word  from  her  lips. 

"  I  follow  thee  willingly,"  she  had  said  to  him  before 
the  hut  of  the  paraschites.  Now  he  asked  himself 
whether  he  were  worthy  of  such  a  follower. 

He  had  indeed  broken  through  the  old  bonds,  but 
not  to  disgrace  the  house  that  was  dear  to  him,  only  to 
let  new  light  into  its  dim  chambers. 

"  To  do  what  we  have  earnestly  felt  to  be  right,"  said 
he  to  himself,  "  may  seem  worthy  of  punishment  to  men, 
but  cannot  before  God." 

He  sighed  and  walked  out  into  the  terrace  in  a  mood 
of  lofty  excitement,  and  fully  resolved  to  do  here  noth- 
ing but  what  was  right,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  all  that 
was  good. 

"  We  men,"  thought  he,  "  prepare  sorrow  when  we 
come  into  the  world,  and  lamentation  when  we  leave  it; 


206  UARDA. 

and  so  it  is  our  duty  in  the  intermediate  time  to  fight 
with  suffering,  and  to  sow  the  seeds  of  joy.  There  are 
many  tears  here  to  be  wiped  away.  To  work  then !" 

The  poet  found  none  of  his  subordinates  on  the 
upper  terrace.  They  had  all  met  in  the  forecourt  of 
the  temple,  and  were  listening  to  the  gate-keeper's  tale, 
and  seemed  to  sympathize  with  his  angry  complaint — 
against  whom  Pentaur  well  knew. 

With  a  firm  step  he  went  towards  them  and  said : 

"  I  have  expelled  this  man  from  among  us,  for  he  is 
a  disgrace  to  us.  To-morrow  he  quits  the  temple." 

"  I  will  go  at  once,"  replied  the  gate-keeper  defiant- 
ly, "and  in  behalf  of  the  holy  fathers  (here  he  cast  a  sig- 
nificant glance  at  the  priests),  ask  the  high-priest  Ameni 
if  the  unclean  are  henceforth  to  be  permitted  to  enter 
this  sanctuary." 

He  was  already  approaching  the  gate,  but  Pentaur 
stepped  before  him,  saying  resolutely : 

"  You  will  remain  here  and  keep  the  geese  to-morrow, 
day  after  to-morrow,  and  until  I  choose  to  pardon  you." 

The  gate-keeper  looked  enquiringly  at  the  priests. 

Not  one  moved. 

"  Go  back  into  your  house,"  said  Pentaur,  going 
closer  to  him. 

The  porter  obeyed. 

Pentaur  locked  the  door  of  the  little  room,  gave  the 
key  to  one  of  the  temple-servants,  and  said :  "  Perform 
his  duty,  watch  the  man,  and  if  he  escapes  you  will  go 
after  the  geese  to-morrow  too.  See,  my  friends,  how 
many  worshippers  kneel  there  before  our  altars — go  and 
fulfil  your  office.  I  will  wait  in  the  confessional  to  re- 
ceive complaints,  and  to  administer  comfort." 

The  priests  separated    and  went    to    the    votaries, 


UARDA.  207 

Pentaur  once  more  mounted  the  steps,  and  sat  down  in 
the  narrow  confessional  which  was  closed  by  a  curtain  ; 
on  its  wall  the  picture  of  Hatasu  was  to  be  seen,  drawing 
the  milk  of  eternal  life  from  the  udders  of  the  cow  Hathor.* 

He  had  hardly  taken  his  place  when  a  temple-servant** 
announced  the  arrival  of  a  veiled  lady.  The  bearers 
of  her  litter  were  thickly  veiled,  and  she  had  requested 
to  be  conducted  to  the  confession  chamber.  The  servant 
handed  Pentaur  a  token  by  which  the  high-priest  of  the 
great  temple  of  Ainon,  on  the  other  bank  of  the  Nile, 
granted  her  the  privilege  of  entering  the  inner  rooms  of 
the  temple  with  the  Rechiu,***  and  to  communicate 
with  all  priests,  even  with  the  highest  of  the  initiated. 

The  poet  withdrew  behind  a  curtain,  and  awaited  the 
stranger  with  a  disquiet  that  seemed  to  him  all  the  more 
singular  that  he  had  frequently  found  himself  in  a  similar 
position.  Even  the  noblest  dignitaries  had  often  been 
transferred  to  him  by  Ameni  when  they  had  come  to  the 
temple  to  have  their  visions  interpreted. 

A  tall  female  figure  entered  the  still,  sultry  stone 
room,  sank  on  her  knees,  and  put  up  a  long  and  absorbed 
prayer  before  the  figure  of  Hathor.  Pentaur  also,  seen 
by  no  one,  lifted  his  hands,  and  fervently  addressed  him- 
self to  the  omnipresent  spirit  with  a  prayer  for  strength 
and  purity. 

Just  as  his  arms  fell  the  lady  raised  her  head.  It 
was  as  though  the  prayers  of  the  two  souls  had  united 
to  mount  upwards  together. 

The  veiled  lady  rose  and  dropped  her  veil. 


ao8  UARDA. 

It  was  Bent-Anat. 

In  the  agitation  of  her  soul  she  had  sought  the 
goddess  Hathor,  who  guides  the  beating  heart  of 
woman  and  spins  the  threads  which  bind  man  and 
wife. 

"  High  mistress  of  heaven  !  many-named  and  beau- 
tiful!" she  began  to  pray  aloud,  "  golden  Hathor!  who 
knowest  grief  and  ecstasy — the  present  and  the  future — 
draw  near  to  thy  child,  and  guide  the  spirit  of  thy 
servant,  that  he  may  advise  me  well.  I  am  the  daughter 
of  a  father  who  is  great  and  noble  and  truthful  as  one 
of  the  Gods.  He  advises  me — he  will  never  compel 
me — to  yield  to  a  man  whom  I  can  never  love.  Nay, 
another  has  met  me,  humble  in  birth  but  noble  in 
spirit  and  in  gifts — " 

Thus  far,  Pentaur,  incapable  of  speech,  had  over- 
heard the  princess. 

Ought  he  to  remain  concealed  and  hear  all  her 
secret,  or  should  he  step  forth  and  show  himself  to 
her  ?  His  pride  called  loudly  to  him  :  "  Now  she  will 
speak  your  name ;  you  are  the  chosen  one  of  the 
fairest  and  noblest."  But  another  voice  to  which 
he  had  accustomed  himself  to  listen  in  severe  self- 
discipline  made  itself  heard,  and  said — "  Let  her  say 
nothing  in  ignorance,  that  she  need  be  ashamed  of  if 
she  knew." 

He  blushed  for  her ; — he  opened  the  curtain  and 
went  forward  into  the  presence  of  Bent-Anat. 

The  Princess  drew  back  startled. 

"  Art  thou  Pentaur,"  she  asked,  "  or  one  of  the 
Immortals  ?" 

'•  I  am  Pentaur,"  he  answered  firmly,  "  a  man  with 
all  the  weakness  of  his  race,  but  with  a  desire  for 


UARDA  209 

what  is  good.  Linger  here  and  pour  out  thy  soul  to 
our  Goddess ;  my  whole  life  shall  be  a  prayer  for 
thee." 

The  poet  looked  full  at  her ;  then  he  turned  quickly, 
as  if  to  avoid  a  danger,  towards  the  door  of  the  con- 
fessional. 

Bent-Anat  called  his  name,  and  he  stayed  his 
steps. 

"The  daughter  of  Rameses,"  she  said,  "need  offer 
no  justification  of  her  appearance  here,  but  the  maiden 
Bent-Anat,"  and  she  colored  as  she  spoke,  "  expected 
to  find,  not  thee,  but  the  old  priest  Rui,  and  she  de- 
sired his  advice.  Now  leave  me  to  pray." 

Bent-Anat  sank  on  her  knees,  and  Pentaur  went 
out  into  the  open  air. 

When  the  princess  too  had  left  the  confessional, 
loud  voices  were  heard  on  the  south  side  of  the  terrace 
on  which  they  stood. 

She  hastened  towards  the  parapet. 

"  Hail  to  Pentaur!"  was  shouted  up  from  below. 

The  poet  rushed  forward,  and  placed  himself  near 
the  princess.  Both  looked  down  into  the  valley,  and 
could  be  seen  by  all. 

"  Hail,  hail !  Pentaur,"  was  called  doubly  loud, 
"  Hail  to  our  teacher !  come  back  to  the  House  of  Seti. 
Down  with  the  persecutors  of  Pentaur — down  with 
our  oppressors !" 

At  the  head  of  the  youths,  who,  so  soon  as  they 
had  found  out  whither  the  poet  had  been  exiled,  had 
escaped  to  tell  him  that  they  were  faithful  to  him, 
stood  the  prince  Rameri,  who  nodded  triumphantly  to 
his  sister,  and  Anana  stepped  forward  to  inform  the 


210  UARDA. 

honored  teacher  in  a  solemn  and  well-studied  speech, 
that,  in  the  event  of  Ameni  refusing  to  recall  him,  they 
had  decided  requesting  their  fathers  to  place  them  at 
another  school. 

The  young  sage  spoke  well,  and  Bent-Anat  fol- 
lowed his  words,  not  without  approbation;  but  Pen- 
taur's  face  grew  darker,  and  before  his  favorite  dis- 
ciple had  ended  his  speech  he  interrupted  him  sternly. 

His  voice  was  at  first  reproachful,  and  then  com- 
plaining, and,  loud  as  he  spoke,  only  sorrow  rang  in 
his  tones,  and  not  anger. 

"  In  truth,"  he  concluded,  "  every  word  that  I  have 
spoken  to  you  I  could  but  find  it  in  me  to  regret,  if 
it  has  contributed  to  encourage  you  to  this  mad  act. 
You  were  born  in  palaces ;  learn  to  obey,  that  later  you 
may  know  how  to  command.  Back  to  your  school ! 
You  hesitate  ?  Then  I  will  come  out  against  you  with 
the  watchman,  and  drive  you  back,  for  you  do  me  and 
yourselves  small  honor  by  such  a  proof  of  affection. 
Go  back  to  the  school  you  belong  to." 

The  school-boys  dared  make  no  answer,  but  sur- 
prised and  disenchanted  turned  to  go  home. 

Bent-Anat  cast  down  her  eyes  as  she  met  those  of 
her  brother,  who  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  then  she 
looked  half  shyly,  half  respectfully,  at  the  poet ;  but 
soon  again  her  eyes  turned  to  the  plain  below,  for  thick 
dust-clouds  whirled  across  it,  the  sound  of  hoofs  and 
the  rattle  of  wheels  became  audible,  and  at  the  same 
moment  the  chariot  of  Septah.  the  chief  haruspex,  and 
a  vehicle  with  the  heavily-armed  guard  of  the  House 
of  Seti,  stopped  near  the  terrace. 

The  angry  old  man  sprang  quickly  to  the  ground. 


UARDA.  211 

called  the  host  of  escaped  pupils  to  him  in  a  stern 
voice,  ordered  the  guard  to  drive  them  back  to  the 
school,  and  hurried  up  to  the  temple  gates  like  a 
vigorous  youth.  The  priests  received  him  with  the 
deepest  reverence,  and  at  once  laid  their  complaints 
before  him. 

He  heard  them  willingly,  but  did  not  let  them  dis- 
cuss the  matter;  then,  though  with  some  difficulty,  he 
quickly  mounted  the  steps,  down  which  Bent-Anat  came 
towards  him. 

The  princess  felt  that  she  would  divert  all  the 
blame  and  misunderstanding  to  herself,  if  Septah  re- 
cognized her;  her  hand  involuntarily  reached  for  her 
veil,  but  she  drew  it  back  quickly,  looked  with  quiet 
dignity  into  the  old  man's  eyes,  which  flashed  with 
anger,  and  proudly  passed  by  him.  The  haruspex 
bowed,  but  without  giving  her  his  blessing,  and 
when  he  met  Pentaur  on  the  second  terrace,  ordered 
that  the  temple  should  be  cleared  of  worshippers. 

This  was  done  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the  priests 
Avere  witnesses  of  the  most  painful  scene  which  had 
occurred  for  years  in  their  quiet  sanctuary. 

The  head  of  the  haruspices  of  the  House  of  Seti 
was  the  most  determined  adversary  of  the  poet  who 
had  so  early  been  initiated  into  the  mysteries,  and 
whose  keen  intellect  often  shook  those  very  ramparts 
which  the  zealous  old  man  had,  from  conviction, 
labored  to  strengthen  from  his  youth  up.  The  vexa- 
tious occurrences,  of  which  he  had  been  a  witness  at 
the  House  of  Seti,  and  here  also  but  a  few  minutes 
since,  he  regarded  as  the  consequence  of  the  unbridled 
license  of  an  ill-regulated  imagination,  and  in  stern  Ian- 


212  UARDA. 

guage  he  called  Pentaur  to  account  for  the  "  revolt "  of 
the  school-boys. 

"  And  besides  our  boys,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you  have 
led  the  daughter  of  Rameses  astray.  She  was  not  yet 
purged  of  her  uncleanness,  and  yet  you  tempt  her  to 
an  assignation,  not  even  in  the  stranger's  quarters — 
but  in  the  holy  house  of  this  pure  Divinity." 

Undeserved  praise  is  dangerous  to  the  weak ;  unjust 
blame  may  turn  even  the  strong  from  the  right  way. 

Pentaur  indignantly  repelled  the  accusations  of  the 
old  man,  called  them  unworthy  of  his  age,  his  position, 
and  his  name,  and  for  fear  that  his  anger  might  carry 
him  too  far,  turned  his  back  upon  him ;  but  the  harus- 
pex  ordered  him  to  remain,  and  in  his  presence  ques- 
tioned the  priests,  who  unanimously  accused  the  poet 
of  having  admitted  to  the  temple  another  unpurified 
woman  besides  Bent-Anat,  and  of  having  expelled  the 
gate-keeper  and  thrown  him  into  prison  for  opposing 
the  crime. 

The  haruspex  ordered  that  the  "  ill-used  man " 
should  be  set  at  liberty. 

Pentaur  resisted  this  command,  asserted  his  right 
to  govern  in  this  temple,  and  with  a  trembling  voice 
requested  Septah  to  quit  the  place. 

The  haruspex  showed  him  Ameni's  ring,  by  which, 
during  his  residence  in  Thebes,  he  made  him  his  pleni- 
potentiary, degraded  Pentaur  from  his  dignity,  but 
ordered  him  not  to  quit  the  sanctuary  till  further  notice, 
and  then  finally  departed  from  the  temple  of  Hatasu. 

Pentaur  had  yielded  in  silence  to  the  signet  of  his 
chief,  and  returned  to  the  confessional  in  which  he 
had  met  Bent-Anat.  He  felt  his  soul  shaken  to  its 
very  foundations,  his  thoughts  were  confused,  his  feel- 


UARDA.  213 

ings  struggling  with  each  other;  he  shivered,  and  when 
he  heard  the  laughter  of  the  priests  and  the  gate- 
keeper, who  were  triumphing  in  their  easy  victory,  he 
started  and  shuddered  like  a  man  who  in  passing  a 
mirror  should  see  a  brand  of  disgrace  on  his  brow. 

But  by  degrees  he  recovered  himself,  his  spirit 
grew  clearer,  and  when  he  left  the  little  room  to  look 
towards  the  east — where,  on  the  farther  shore,  rose  the 
palace  where  Bent-Anat  must  be — a  deep  contempt 
for  his  enemies  filled  his  soul,  and  a  proud  feeling  of 
renewed  manly  energy.  He  did  not  conceal  from  him- 
self that  he  had  enemies ;  that  a  time  of  struggle  was 
beginning  for  him ;  but  he  looked  forward  to  it  like  a 
young  hero  to  the  morning  of  his  first  battle. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  afternoon  shadows  were  already  growing  long, 
when  a  splendid  chariot  drew  up  to  the  gates  of  the 
terrace-temple.  Paaker,  the  chief  pioneer,  stood  up  in 
it,  driving  his  handsome  and  fiery  Syrian  horses.  Be- 
hind him  stood  an  Ethiopian  slave,  and  his  big  dog 
followed  the  swift  team  with  his  tongue  out. 

As  he  approached  the  temple  he  heard  himself 
called,  and  checked  the  pace  of  his  horses.  A  tiny 
man  hurried  up  to  him,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  re- 
cognized in  him  the  dwarf  Nemu,  he  cried  angrily : 

"  Is  it  for  you,  you  rascal,  that  I  stop  my  drive  ? 
What  do  you  want  ?" 

"To  crave,"  said  the  little  man,  bowing  humbly, 
"  that,  when  thy  business  in  the  city  of  the  dead  is 
finished,  thou  wilt  carry  me  back  to  Thebes.'" 


214  UARDA. 

"You  are  Mena's  dwarf?"  asked  the  pioneer. 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  Nemu.  "  I  belong  to  his 
neglected  wife,  the  lady  Nefert.  I  can  only  cover  the 
road  very  slowly  with  my  little  legs,  while  the  hoofs  of 
your  horses  devour  the  way — as  a  crocodile  does  his 
prey." 

"  Get  up  !"  said  Paaker.  "  Did  you  come  here  on 
foot  ?" 

"  No,  my  lord,"  replied  Nemu,  "on  an  ass;  but  a 
demon  entered  into  the  beast,  and  has  struck  it  with 
sickness.  I  had  to  leave  it  on  the  road.  The  beasts 
of  Anubis  will  have  a  better  supper  than  we  to-night." 

"  Things  are  not  done  handsomely  then  at  your 
mistress's  house  ?"  asked  Paaker. 

"  We  still  have  bread,"  replied  Nemu,  "  and  the  Nile 
is  full  of  water.  Much  meat  is  not  necessary  for  wo- 
men and  dwarfs,  but  our  last  cattle  take  a  form  which 
is  too  hard  for  human  teeth." 

The  pioneer  did  not  understand  the  joke,  and 
looked  enquiringly  at  the  dwarf. 

"  The  form  of  money,"  said  the  little  man,  "  and 
that  cannot  be  chewed ;  soon  that  will  be  gone  too, 
and  then  the  point  will  be  to  find  a  recipe  for  making 
nutritious  cakes  out  of  earth,  water,  and  palm-leaves. 
It  makes  very  little  difference  to  me,  a  dwarf  does  not 
need  much — but  the  poor  tender  lady  !" 

Paaker  touched  his  horses  with  such  a  violent 
stroke  of  his  whip  that  they  reared  high,  and  it  took 
all  his  strength  to  control  their  spirit. 

"  The  horses'  jaws  will  be  broken,"  muttered  the 
slave  behind.  "  What  a  shame  with  such  fine  beasts !" 

"  Have  you  to  pay  for  them  ?"  growled  Paaker. 
Then  he  turned  again  to  the  dwarf,  and  asked — 


UARDA.  215 

"  Why  does  Mena  let  the  ladies  want  ?" 

"  He  no  longer  cares  for  his  wife,"  replied  the  dwarf, 
casting  his  eyes  down  sadly.  "At  the  last  division  of 
the  spoil  he  passed  by  the  gold  and  silver,  and  took 
a  foreign  woman  into  his  tent.  Evil  demons  have 
blinded  him,  for  where  is  there  a  woman  fairer  than 
Nefert  ?" 

"  You  love  your  mistress." 

"As  my  very  eyes  !" 

During  this  conversation  they  had  arrived  at  the 
terrace-temple.  Paaker  threw  the  reins  to  the  slave, 
ordered  him  to  wait  with  Nemu,  and  turned  to  the 
gate-keeper  to  explain  to  him,  with  the  help  of  a  hand- 
ful of  gold,  his  desire  of  being  conducted  to  Pentaur, 
the  chief  of  the  temple. 

The  gate-keeper,  swinging  a  censer  before  him 
with  a  hasty  action,  admitted  him  into  the  sanctuary. 

"  You  will  find  him  on  the  third  terrace,"  he  said, 
"but  he  is  no  longer  our  superior." 

"  They  said  so  in  the  temple  of  Seti,  whence  I  have 
just  come,"  replied  Paaker. 

The  porter  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  a  sneer,  and 
said  :  "  The  palm-tree  that  is  quickly  set  up  falls  down 
more  quickly  still."  Then  he  desired  a  servant  to  con- 
duct the  stranger  to  Pentaur. 

The  poet  recognized  the  Mohar  at  once,  asked  his 
will,  and  learned  that  he  was  come  to  have  a  wonderful 
vision  interpreted  by  him. 

Paaker  explained  before  relating  his  dream,  that 
he  did  not  ask  this  service  for  nothing;  and  when  the 
priest's  countenance  darkened  he  added: 

"  I  will  send  a  fine  beast  for  sacrifice  to  the  Goddess 
if  the  interpretation  is  favorable." 


2l6  UARD4. 

"  And  in  the  opposite  case  ?"  asked  Pentaur,  who,  in 
the  House  of  Seti,  never  would  have  anything  whatever 
to  do  with  the  payments  of  the  worshippers  or  the  offer- 
ings of  the  devout. 

"  I  will  offer  a  sheep,"  replied  Paaker,  who  did  not 
perceive  the  subtle  irony  that  lurked  in  Pentaur's  words, 
and  who  was  accustomed  to  pay  for  the  gifts  of  the 
Divinity  in  proportion  to  their  value  to  himself. 

Pentaur  thought  of  the  verdict  which  Gagabu,  only 
two  evenings  since,  had  passed  on  the  Mohar,  and  it 
occurred  to  him  that  he  would  test  how  far  the  man's 
superstition  would  lead  him.  So  he  asked,  while  he 
suppressed  a  smile : 

"  And  if  I  can  foretell  nothing  bad,  but  also  nothing 
actually  good  ?" — 

"  An  antelope,  and  four  geese,"  answered  Paaker 
promptly. 

"  But  if  I  were  altogether  disinclined  to  put  myself 
at  your  service  ?"  asked  Pentaur.  "  If  I  thought  it  un- 
worthy of  a  priest  to  let  the  Gods  be  paid  in  proportion 
to  their  favors  towards  a  particular  person,  like  cor- 
rupt officials ;  if  I  now  showed  you — you — and  I  have 
known  you  from  a  school-boy,  that  there  are  things  that 
cannot  be  bought  with  inherited  wealth  ?" 

The  pioneer  drew  back  astonished  and  angry,  but 
Pentaur  continued  calmly — 

"  I  stand  here  as  the  minister  of  the  Divinity ;  and 
nevertheless,  I  see  by  your  countenance,  that  you  were 
on  the  point  of  lowering  yourself  by  showing  to  me 
your  violent  and  extortionate  spirit. 

"The  Immortals  send  us  dreams,  not  to  give  us  a 
foretaste  of  joy  or  caution  us  against  danger,  but  to  re- 
mind us  so  to  prepare  our  souls  that  we  may  submit 


UARDA.  217 

quietly  to  suffer  evil,  and  with  heartfelt  gratitude  accept 
the  good;  and  so  gain  from  each  profit  for  the  inner 
life.  I  will  not  interpret  your  dream !  Come  without 
gifts,  but  with  a  humble  heart,  and  with  longing  for  in- 
Avard  purification,  and  I  will  pray  to  the  Gods  that  they 
may  enlighten  me,  and  give  you  such  interpretation  of 
even  evil  dreams  that  they  may  be  fruitful  in  bless- 
ing- 
Leave  me,  and  quit  the  temple!" 

Paaker  ground  his  teeth  with  rage;  but  he  con- 
trolled himself,  and  only  said  as  he  slowly  withdrew;; 

"If  your  office  had  not  already  been  taken  from 
you,  the  insolence  with  Avhich  you  have  dismissed  me 
might  have  cost  you  your  place.  We  shall  meet  again, 
and  then  you  shall  learn  that  inherited  wealth  in  the 
right  hand  is  worth  more  than  you  will  like." 

"Another  enemy!"  thought  the  poet,  when  he  found 
himself  alone  and  stood  erect  in  the  glad  consciousness 
of  having  done  right. 

During  Paaker's  interview  with  the  poet,  the  dwarf 
Nemu  had  chatted  to  the  porter,  and  had  learned 
from  him  all  that  had  previously  occurred. 

Paaker  mounted  his  chariot  pale  with  rage,  and 
Avhipped  on  his  horses  before  the  dwarf  had  clambered 
up  the  step;  but  the  slave  seized  the  little  man,  and 
set  him  carefully  on  his  feet  behind  his  master. 

"The  villian,  the  scoundrel!  he  shall  repent  it — 
Pentaur  is  he  called!  the  hound!"  muttered  the  pioneer 
to  himself. 

The  dwarf  lost  none  of  his  words,  and  when  he 
caught  the  name  of  Pentaur  he  called  to  the  pioneer, 

and  said — 

15 


2l8  UARDA. 

"They  have  appointed  a  scoundrel  to  be  the  supe- 
rior of  this  temple;  his  name  is  Pentaur.  He  was  ex- 
pelled from  the  temple  of  Seti  for  his  immorality,  and 
now  he  has  stirred  up  the  younger  scholars  to  rebellion, 
and  invited  unclean  women  into  the  temple.  My  lips 
hardly  dare  repeat  it,  but  the  gate-keeper  swore  it  was 
true — that  the  chief  haruspex  from  the  House  of  Seti 
found  him  in  conference  with  Bent-Anat,  the  king's 
daughter,  and  at  once  deprived  him  of  his  office." 

"With  Bent-Anat  ?"  replied  the  pioneer,  and  muttered, 
before  the  dwarf  could  find  time  to  answer,  "  Indeed, 
with  Bent-Anat !"  and  he  recalled  the  day  before  yester- 
day, when  the  princess  had  remained  so  long  with  the 
priest  in  the  hovel  of  the  paraschites,  while  he  had 
talked  to  Nefert  and  visited  the  old  witch. 

"I  should  not  care  to  be  in  the  priest's  skin,"  ob- 
served Nemu,  "for  though  Rameses  is  far  away,  the 
Regent  Ani  is  near  enough.  He  is  a  gentleman  who 
seldom  pounces,  but  even  the  dove  won't  allow  itself  to 
be  attacked  in  its  own  nest." 

Paaker  looked  enquiringly  at  Nemu. 

"I  know,"  said  the  dwarf,  <cAni  has  asked  Rameses' 
consent  to  marry  his  daughter." 

"•'He  has  already  asked  it,"  continued  the  dwarf  as 
Paaker  smiled  incredulously,  "  and  the  king  is  not  dis- 
inclined to  give  it.  He  likes  making  marriages — as 
thou  must  know  pretty  well." 

"  I  ?"  said  Paaker,  surprised. 

"  He  forced  Katuti  to  give  her  daughter  as  wife  to 
the  charioteer.  That  I  know  from  herself.  She  can 
prove  it  to  thee." 

Paaker  shook  his  head  in  denial,  but  the  dwarf  con- 
tinued eagerly,  "  Yes,  yes !  Katuti  would  have  had  thee 


UARDA.  219 

for  her  son-in-law,  and  it  was  the  king,  not  she,  who 
broke  off  the  betrothal.  Thou  must  at  the  same  time 
have  been  inscribed  in  the  black  books  of  the  'high 
gate,'  for  Rameses  used  many  hard  names  for  thee. 
One  of  us  is  like  a  mouse  behind  the  curtain,  which 
knows  a  good  deal." 

Paaker  suddenly  brought  his  horses  to  a  stand-still, 
threw  the  reins  to  the  slave,  sprang  from  the  chariot, 
called  the  dwarf  to  his  side,  and  said : 

"We  will  walk  from  here  to  the  river,  and  you 
shall  tell  me  all  you  know;  but  if  an  untrue  word 
passes  your  lips  I  will  have  you  eaten  by  my  dogs." 

"I  know  thou  canst  keep  thy  word,"  gasped  the 
little  man.  "  But  go  a  little  slower  if  thou  wilt,  for  I 
am  quite  out  of  breath.  Let  Katuti  herself  tell  thee 
how  it  all  came  about.  Rameses  compelled  her  to  give 
her  daughter  to  the  charioteer.  I  do  not  know  what  he 
said  of  thee,  but  it  was  not  complimentary.  My  poor 
mistress !  she  let  herself  be  caught  by  the  dandy,  the 
ladies'  man — and  now  she  may  weep  and  wail.  When 
I  pass  the  great  gates  of  thy  house  with  Katuti,  she 
often  sighs  and  complains  bitterly.  And  with  good 
reason,  for  it  soon  will  be  all  over  with  our  noble  es- 
tate, and  we  must  seek  an  asylum  far  away  among  the 
Amu*  in  the  low  lands;  for  the  nobles  will  soon  avoid 
us  as  outcasts.  Thou  mayst  be  glad  that  thou  hast 
not  linked  thy  fate  to  ours;  but  I  have  a  faithful  heart, 
and  will  share  my  mistress's  trouble." 

"You  speak  riddles,"  said  Paaker,  "what  have  they 
to  fear?" 

*  A  Semitic  tribe,  who  ?.t  the  time  of  our  story  peopled  the  eastern  delta. 
See  "./Egypten  und  die  Biicher  Moses,"  Ebers,  and  the  second  edition  of 
"  Histoire  de  1'Egypte"  by  Brugsch.  The  name  Bi-amites  comes  from  the  old 
name  Amu. 


220  UARDA. 

The  dwarf  now  related  how  Nefert's  brother  had 
gambled  away  the  mummy  of  his  father,  how  enor- 
mous was  the  sum  he  had  lost,  and  that  degradation 
must  overtake  Katuti,  and  her  daughter  with  her. 

"  Who  can  save  them,"  he  whimpered.  "  Her  shame- 
less husband  squanders  his  inheritance  and  his  prize- 
money.  Katuti  is  poor,  and  the  little  words  "Give 
me!'  scare  away  friends  as  the  cry  of  a  hawk  scares 
the  chickens.  My  poor  mistress!" 

"  It  is  a  large  sum,"  muttered  Paaker  to  himself. 

"It is  enormous!"  sighed  the  dwarf,  "and  where  is 
it  to  be  found  in  these  hard  times?  It  would  have 
been  different  with  us,  if — ah  if — .  And  it  would  be  a 
form  of  madness  which  I  do  not  believe  in,  that  Nefert 
should  still  care  for  her  braggart  husband.  She  thinks 
as  much  of  thee  as  of  him." 

Paaker  looked  at  the  dwarf  half  incredulous  and  half 
threatening. 

"Ay — of  thee,"  repeated  Nemu.  "Since  our  ex- 
cursion to  the  Necropolis — the  clay  before  yesterday  it 
was — she  speaks  only  of  thee,  praising  thy  ability,  and 
thy  strong  manly  spirit.  It  is  as  if  some  charm  obliged 
her  to  think  of  thee." 

The  pioneer  began  to  walk  so  fast  that  hir,  small 
companion  once  more  had  to  ask  him  to  moderate  his 
steps. 

They  gained  the  shore  in  silence,  where  Paaker's 
boat  was  waiting,  which  also  conveyed  his  chariot. 
He  lay  down  in  the  little  cabin,  called  the  dwarf  to 
him,  and  said: 

"I  am  Katuti's  nearest  relative;  we  are  IIOAV  recon- 
ciled ;  why  does  she  not  turn  to  me  in  her  difficulty  ?" 

"Because  she  is  proud,  and  thy  blood  flows  in  her 


UARDA.  221 

veins.  Sooner  would  she  die  with  her  child — she  said  so 
— than  ask  thee,  against  whom  she  sinned,  for  an  alms." 

"  She  did  think  of  me  then  ?" 

"  At  once ;  nor  did  she  doubt  thy  generosity.  She 
esteems  thee  highly — I  repeat  it ;  and  if  an  arrow  from 
a  Cheta's  bow  or  a  visitation  of  the  Gods  attained 
Mena,  she  would  joyfully  place  her  child  in  thine  arms, 
and  Nefert  believe  me  has  not  forgotten  her  playfellow. 
The  day  before  yesterday,  when  she  came  home  from 
the  Necropolis,  and  before  the  letter  had  come  from 
the  camp,  she  was  full  of  thee* — nay  called  to  thee  in 
her  dreams ;  I  know  it  from  Kandake,  her  black  maid." 

The  pioneer  looked  down  and  said : 

"  How  extraordinary  !  and  the  same  night  I  had  a 
vision  in  which  your  mistress  appeared  to  me  ;  the  inso- 
lent priest  in  the  temple  of  Hathor  should  have  inter- 
preted it  to  me." 

"  And  he  refused  ?  the  fool !  but  other  folks  under- 
stand dreams,  and  I  am  not  the  worst  of  them — Ask 
thy  servant.  Ninety-nine  times  out  of  a  hundred  my 
interpretations  come  true.  How  was  the  vision  ?" 

"  I  stood  by  the  Nile,"  said  Paaker,  casting  down 
his  eyes  and  drawing  lines  with  his  whip  through  the 
wool  of  the  cabin  rug.  "  The  water  was  still,  and  I 
saw  Nefert  standing  on  the  farther  bank,  and  beckon- 
ing to  me.  I  called  to  her,  and  she  stepped  on  the 
water,  which  bore  her  up  as  if  it  were  this  carpet.  She 
went  over  the  water  dry-foot  as  if  it  were  the  stony 
wilderness.  A  wonderful  sight !  She  came  nearer  to  me, 
and  nearer,  and  already  I  had  tried  to  take  her  hand, 
when  she  ducked  under  like  a  swan.  I  went  into  the 

*  "To  be  full  (meh)  of  any  one  "  is  used  in  the  Egyptian  language  for  "  to 
be  in  love  with  any  one." 


222  UARDA. 

water  to  seize  her,  and  when  she  came  up  again  I 
clasped  her  in  my  arms-;  but  then  the  strangest  thing 
happened — she  flowed  away,  she  dissolved  like  the 
snow  on  the  Syrian  hills,  when  you  take  it  in  your 
hand,  and  yet  it  was  not  the  same,  for  her  hair  turned 
to  water-lilies,  and  her  eyes  to  blue  fishes  that  swam 
away  merrily,  and  her  lips  to  twigs  of  coral  that  sank 
at  once,  and  from  her  body  grew  a  crocodile,  with  a 
head  like  Men  a,  that  laughed  and  gnashed  its  teeth  at 
me.  Then  I  was  seized  with  blind  fury ;  I  threw  my- 
self upon  him  with  a  drawn  sword,  he  fastened  his 
teeth  in  my  flesh,  I  pierced  his  throat  with  my  weapon ; 
the  Nile  was  dark  with  our  streaming  blood,  and  so 
we  fought  and  fought — it  lasted  an  eternity — till  I 
awoke." 

Paaker  drew  a  deep  breath  as  he  ceased  speaking ; 
as  if  his  wild  dream  tormented  him  again. 

The  dwarf  had  listened  with  eager  attention,  but 
several  minutes  passed  before  he  spoke. 

"  A  strange  dream,"  he  said,  "  but  the  interpretation 
as  to  the  future  is  not  hard  to  find.  Nefert  is  striving 
to  reach  thee,  she  longs  to  be  thine,  but  if  thou  dost 
fancy  that  she  is  already  in  thy  grasp  she  will  elude 
thee  ;  thy  hopes  will  melt  like  ice,  slip  away  like  sand, 
if  thou  dost  not  know  how  to  put  the  crocodile  out  of 
the  way." 

At  this  moment  the  boat  struck  the  landing-place. 
The  pioneer  started  up,  and  cried,  "  We  have  reached 
the  end  !" 

"  We  have  reached  the  end,"  echoed  the  little  man 
with  meaning.  "  There  is  only  a  narrow  bridge  to  step 
over." 

When  iney  both  stood  on  the  shore,  the  dwarf  said, 


UARDA.  223 

"  I  have  to  thank  thee  for  thy  hospitality,  and 
when  I  can  serve  thee  command  me." 

"  Come  here,"  cried  the  pioneer,  and  drew  Nemu 
away  with  him  under  the  shade  of  a  sycamore  veiled 
in  the  half  light  of  the  departing  sun. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  a  bridge  which  we  must 
step  over?  I  do  not  understand  the  flowers  of  speech, 
and  desire  plain  language." 

The  dwarf  reflected  for  a  moment,  and  then  asked — 

"  Shall  I  say  nakedly  and  openly  what  I  mean,  and 
will  you  not  be  angry  ? '' 

"  Speak !" 

"  Mena  is  the  crocodile.  Put  him  out  of  the  world, 
and  you  will  have  passed  the  bridge;  then  Nefert  will 
be  thine — if  thou  wilt  listen  to  me." 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  Put  the  charioteer  out  of  the  world." 

Paaker's  gesture  seemed  to  convey  that  that  was  a 
thing  that  had  long  been  decided  on,  and  he  turned 
his  face,  for  a  good  omen,  so  that  the  rising  moon 
should  be  on  his  right  hand. 

The  dwarf  went  on. 

"  Secure  Nefert,  so  that  she  may  not  vanish  like  her 
image  in  the  dream,  before  you  reach  the  goal;  that  is 
to  say,  ransom  the  honor  of  your  future  mother  and 
wife,  for  how  could  you  take  an  outcast  into  your 
house  ?" 

Paaker  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  ground. 

"  May  I  inform  my  mistress  that  thou  wilt  save  her?" 
asked  Nemu.  "  I  may  ? — Then  all  will  be  well,  for  he 
who  will  devote  a  fortune  to  love  will  not  hesitate  to 
devote  a  reed  lance  with  a  brass  point  to  it  to  his  love 
and  his  hatred  together." 


224  UARDA. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  sun  had  set,  and  darkness  covered  the  City  of 
the  Dead ;  but  the  moon  shone  above  the  valley  of  the 
kings'  tombs,  and  the  projecting  masses  of  the  rocky 
walls  of  the  chasm  threw  sharply-defined  shadows. 
A  weird  silence  lay  upon  the  desert,  where  yet  far  more 
life  was  stirring  than  in  the  noonday  hour,  for  now  bats 
darted  like  black  silken  threads  through  the  night  air, 
owls  hovered  aloft  on  wide-spread  wings,  small  troops 
of  jackals  slipped  by,  one  following  the  other  up  the 
mountain  slopes.  From  time  to  time  their  hideous 
yell,  or  the  whining  laugh  of  the  hyena,  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  night. 

Nor  was  human  life  yet  at  rest  in  the  valley  of 
tombs.  A  faint  light  glimmered  in  the  cave  of  the  sor- 
ceress Hekt,  and  in  front  of  the  paraschites'  hut  a  fire 
was  burning,  which  the  grandmother  of  the  sick  Uarda 
now  and  then  fed  with  pieces  of  dry  manure.  Two 
men  were  seated  in  front  of  the  hut,  and  gazed  in 
silence  on  the  thin  flame,  whose  impure  light  was  al- 
most quenched  by  the  clearer  glow  of  the  moon  ;  whilst 
the  third,  Uarda's  father,  disembowelled  a  large  ram, 
whose  head  he  had  already  cut  off. 

"  How  the  jackals  howl !"  said  the  old  paraschites, 
drawing  as  he  spoke  the  torn  brown  cotton  cloth,  which 
he  had  put  on  as  a  protection  against  the  night  air 
and  the  dew,  closer  round  his  bare  shoulders. 

"  They  scent  the  fresh  meat" answered  the  physician, 


UARDA. 


225 


Nebsecht.  "  Throw  them  the  entrails,  when  you  have 
done ;  the  legs  and  back  you  can  roast.  Be  careful 
how  you  cut  out  the  heart — the  heart,  soldier.  There 
it  is !  What  a  great  beast." 

Nebsecht  took  the  ram's  heart  in  his  hand,  and 
gazed  at  it  with  the  deepest  attention,  whilst  the  old 
paraschites  watched  him  anxiously.  At  length  : 

"  I  promised,"  he  said,  "  to  do  for  you  what  you 
wish,  if  you  restore  the  little  one  to  health ;  but  you 
ask  for  what  is  impossible." 

"  Impossible  ?"  said  the  physician,  "  why,  impossible  ? 
You  open  the  corpses,  you  go  in  and  out  of  the  house 
of  theembalmer.  Get  possession  of  one  of  the  canopi,* 
lay  this  heart  in  it,  and  take  out  in  its  stead  the  heart 
of  a  human  being.  No  one — no  one  will  notice  it. 
Nor  need  you  do  it  to-morrow,  or  the  day  after  to- 
morrow even.  Your  son  can  buy  a  ram  to  kill  every 
day  with  my  money  till  the  right  moment  comes.  Your 
granddaughter  will  soon  grow  strong  on  a  good  meat- 
diet.  Take  courage!" 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  the  danger,"  said  the  old  man, 
"  but  how  can  I  venture  to  steal  from  a  dead  man  his 
life  in  the  other  world?  And  then — in  shame  and 
misery  have  I  lived,  and  for  many  a  year — no  man  has 
numbered  them  for  me — have  I  obeyed  the  command- 
ments, that  I  may  be  found  righteous  in  that  world  to 


*  Vases  of  clay,  limestone,  or  alabaster,  which  were  used  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  intestines  of  the  embalmed  Egyptians,  and  represented  the  four 
genii  of  death,  Amset,  Hapi,  Tuamutef,  and  Khebsennuf.  Instead  of  the 
cover,  the  head  of  the  genius  to  which  it  was  dedicated,  was  placed  on  each 
kanopus.  Amset  (under  the  protection  of  Isis)  has  a.  human  head,  Hapi  (pro- 
tected by  Nephthys)  an  ape's  head,  Tuamutef  (protected  by  Neith)  a  jackal's 
head,  and  Khebsennuf  (protected  by  Selk)  a  sparrow-hawk's  head.  In  one  of 
the  Christian  Coptic  Manuscripts,  the  four  archangels  are  invoked  in  the  place 
of  these  genii. 


226  UARDA. 

come,  and  in  the  fields  of  Aalu,  and  in  the  Sun-bark 
find  compensation  for  all  that  I  have  suffered  here. 
You  are  good  and  friendly.  Why,  for  the  sake  of  a 
whim,  should  you  sacrifice  the  future  bliss  of  a  man, 
who  in  all  his  long  life  has  never  known  happiness, 
and  who  has  never  done  you  any  harm  ?" 

"  What  I  want  with  the  heart,"  replied  the  physician, 
"  you  cannot  understand,  but  in  procuring  it  for  me, 
you  will  be  furthering  a  great  and  useful  purpose.  I 
have  no  whims,  for  I  am  no  idler.  And  as  to  what 
concerns  your  salvation,  have  no  anxiety.  I  am  a 
priest,  and  take  your  deed  and  its  consequences  upon 
myself;  upon  myself,  do  you  understand  ?  I  tell  you, 
as  a  priest,  that  what  I  demand  of  you  is  right,  and  if 
the  judge  of  the  dead  shall  enquire,  '  Why  didst  thou 
take  the  heart  of  a  human  being  out  of  the  Kanopus  ?' 
then  reply — reply  to  him  thus,  '  Because  Nebsecht,  the 
priest,  commanded  me,  and  promised  himself  to  answer 
for  the  deed.'  " 

The  old  man  gazed  thoughtfully  on  the  ground,  and 
the  physician  continued  still  more  urgently : 

"  If  you  fulfil  my  wish,  then — then  I  swear  to  you 
that,  when  you  die,  I  will  take  care  that  your  mummy 
is  provided  with  all  the  amulets,  and  I  myself  will  write 
you  a  book  of  the  Entrance  into  Day,*  and  have  it 
wound  within  your  mummy-cloth,  as  is  done  with  the 
great.**  That  will  give  you  power  over  all  demons, 
and  you  will  be  admitted  to  the  hall  of  the  twofold 
justice,  which  punishes  and  rewards,  and  your  award 
will  be  bliss." 

*  The  first  section  of  the  so-called  Book  of  the  Dead  is  thus  entitled.  The 
commencement :  Ha  em  re'ein  per  em  hrn,  led  the  Greeks  to  speak  of  a  book  of 
the  Egyptians,  called  "  The  Holy  Ambres." 

*"  The  Books  of  the  Dead  are  often  found  amongst  the  cloths,  (by  the  leg  or 
under  the  arm),  or  else  in  the  coffin  under,  or  near,  the  mummy. 


UARDA.  227 

"  But  the  theft  of  a  heart  will  make  the  weight  of 
my  sins  heavy,  when  my  own  heart  is  weighed,"  sighed 
the  old  man. 

Nebsecht  considered  for  a  moment,  and  then  said: 
"  I  will  give  you  a  Avritten  paper,  in  which  I  will  certify 
that  it  was  I  who  commanded  the  theft.  You  will  sew 
it  up  in  a  little  bag,  carry  it  on  your  breast,  and  have 
it  laid  with  you  in  the  grave.  Then  when  Techuti, 
the  agent  of  the  soul,  receives  your  justification  before 
Osiris  and  the  judges  of  the  dead,*  give  him  the 
writing.  He  will  read  it  aloud,  and  you  will  be  ac- 
counted just." 

"  I  am  not  learned  in  writing,"  muttered  the  para- 
schites  with  a  slight  mistrust  that  made  itself  felt  in  his 
voice. 

"  But  I  swear  to  you  by  the  nine  great  Gods,  that 
I  will  write  nothing  on  the  paper  but  what  I  have 
promised  you.  I  will  confess  that  I,  the  priest  Nebsecht, 
commanded  you  to  take  the  heart,  and  that  your  guilt 
is  mine." 

"  Let  me  have  the  writing  then,"  murmured  the  old 
man. 

The  physician  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his 
forehead,  and  gave  the  paraschites  his  hand.  "  To-mor- 
row you  shall  have  it,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  not  leave 
your  granddaughter  till  she  is  well  again." 

*  The  vignettes  of  Chapter  125  of  the  Book  of  the  Dead  represent  the 
Last  Judgment  of  the  Egyptians.  Under  a  canopy  Osiris  sits  enthroned  as 
Chief  Judge,  42  assessors  assist  him.  In  the  hall  stand  the  scales;  the  dog- 
headed  ape,  the  animal  sacred  to  Toth,  guides  the  balance.  In  one  scale  lies 
the  heart  of  the  dead  man,  in  the  other  the  image  of  the  goddess  of  Truth, 
who  introduces  the  soul  into  the  hall  of  justice  Toth  wri'es  the  record.  The 
soul  affirms  that  it  has  not  committed  42  deadly  sins,  and  if  it  obtains  credit,  it 
is  named  "maa  cheru,"  /.  e.,  "the  truth-speaker,"  and  is  therewith  declared 
blessed.  It  now  receives  its  heart  back,  and  grows  into  a  new  and  divine  life. 


228  UARDA. 

The  soldier  engaged  in  cutting  up  the  ram,  had 
heard  nothing  of  this  conversation.  Now  he  ran  a 
wooden  spit  through  the  legs,  and  held  them  over  the 
fire  to  roast  them.  The  jackals  howled  louder  as  the 
smell  of  the  melting  fat  rilled  the  air,  and  the  old  man, 
as  he  looked  on,  forgot  the  terrible  task  he  had  under- 
taken. For  a  year  past,  no  meat  had  been  tasted  in 
his  house. 

The  physician  Nebsecht,  himself  eating  nothing  but 
a  piece  of  bread,  looked  on  at  the  feasters.  They  tore 
the  meat  from  the  bones,  and  the  soldier,  especially, 
devoured  the  costly  and  unwonted  meal  like  some 
ravenous  animal.  He  could  be  heard  chewing  like  a 
horse  in  the  manger,  and  a  feeling  of  disgust  filled 
the  physician's  soul. 

"  Sensual  beings,"  he  murmured  to  himself,  "  animals 
with  consciousness!  And  yet  human  beings.  Strange! 
They  languish  bound  in  the  fetters  of  the  world  of 
sense,  and  yet  how  much  more  ardently  they  desire 
that  which  transcends  sense  than  we — how  much  more 
real  it  is  to  them  than  to  us !" 

"  Will  you  have  some  meat  ?"  cried  the  soldier, 
who  had  remarked  that  Nebsecht's  lips  moved,  and 
tearing  a  piece  of  meat  from  the  bone  of  the  joint  he 
was  devouring,  he  held  it  out  to  the  physician. 
Nebsecht  shrank  back ;  the  greedy  look,  the  glistening 
teeth,  the  dark,  rough  features  of  the  man  terrified 
him.  And  he  thought  of  the  white  and  fragile  form 
of  the  sick  girl  lying  within  on  the  mat,  and  a  ques- 
tion escaped  his  lips. 

"  Is  the  maiden,  is  Uarda,  your  own  child  ?"  he 
said. 


UARDA.  229 

The  soldier  struck  himself  on  the  breast.  "So 
sure  as  the  king  Rameses  is  the  son  of  Seti,"  he  answered. 

The  men  had  finished  their  meal,  and  the  flat 
cakes  of  bread  which  the  wife  of  the  paraschites  gave 
them,  and  on  which  they  had  wiped  their  hands  from  the 
fat,  were  consumed,  when  the  soldier,  in  whose  slow 
brain  the  physician's  question  still  lingered,  said,  sigh- 
ing deeply: 

"  Her  mother  was  a  stranger;  she  laid,  the  white 
dove  in  the  raven's  nest." 

"  Of  what  country  was  your  wife  a  native  ?  "  asked 
the  physician. 

"That  I  do  not  know,"  replied  the  soldier. 

"  Did  you  never  enquire  about  the  family  of  your 
own  wife?" 

"  Certainly  I  did  :  but  how  could  she  have  answered 
me?  But  it  is  a  long  and  strange  story." 

"Relate  it  to  me,"  said  Nebsecht,  "the  night  is 
long,  and  I  like  listening  better  than  talking.  But 
first  I  will  see  after  our  patient." 

When  the  physician  had  satisfied  himself  that 
Uarda  was  sleeping  quietly  and  breathing  regularly, 
he  seated  himself  again  by  the  paraschites  and  his  son, 
and  the  soldier  began : 

"  It  all  happened  long  ago.  King  Seti  still  lived, 
but  Rameses  already  reigned  in  his  stead,  when  I 
came  home  from  the  north.  They  had  sent  me  to 
the  workmen,  who  were  building  the  fortifications  in 
Zoan,  the  town  of  Rameses.*  I  was  set  over  six 
men,  Amus,**  of  the  Hebrew  race,  over  whom 

*  The  Rameses  of  the  Bible.     Exodus  I.  u. 
**  Semites. 


230  UARDA. 

Rameses  kept  such  a  tight  hand.*  Amongst  the  work- 
men there  were  sons  of  rich  cattle-holders,  for  in  levying 
the  people  it  was  never :  '  What  have  you  ?'  but  '  Of 
what  race  are  you  ?'  The  fortifications  and  the  canal 
which  was  to  join  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea  had  to  be 
completed,  and  the  king,  to  whom  be  long  life,  health, 
and  prosperity,  took  the  youth  of  Egypt  with  him  to  the 
wars,  and  left  the  work  to  the  Amus,  who  are  connected 
by  race  with  his  enemies  in  the  east.  One  lives  well  in 
Goshen,  for  it  is  a  fine  country,  with  more  than  enough 
of  corn  and  grass  and  vegetables  and  fish  and  fowls,** 
and  I  always  had  of  the  best,  for  amongst  my  six  people 
were  two  mother's  darlings,  whose  parents  sent  me 
many  a  piece  of  silver.  Every  one  loves  his  children, 
but  the  Hebrews  love  them  more  tenderly  than  other 
people.  We  had  daily  our  appointed  tale  of  bricks  to 
deliver,***  and  when  the  sun  burnt  hot,  I  used  to  help 
the  lads,  and  I  did  more  in  an  hour  than  they  did  in 
three,  for  I  am  strong  and  was  still  stronger  then  than  I 
am  now. 

"  Then  came  the  time  when  I  was  relieved.  I  was 
ordered  to  return  to  Thebes,  to  the  prisoners  of  war 
who  were  building  the  great  temple  of  Amon  over 
yonder,  and  as  I  had  brought  home  some  money,  and 
it  would  take  a  good  while  to  finish  the  great  dwelling 
of  the  king  of  the  Gods,  I  thought  of  taking  a  wife ;  but 
no  Egyptian.  Of  daughters  of  paraschites  there  were 
plenty ;  but  I  wanted  to  get  away  out  of  my  father's 
accursed  caste,  and  the  other  girls  here,  as  I  knew,  were 

"  For  an  account  of  the  traces  of  the  Jews  in  Egypt,  see  Chabas,  Me- 
langes, and  Ebers,  /Kgypten  inul  die  Biicher  Moses,  alsoDurch  Gozen  zum  Sinai. 
**  See  Ebers1   "  Durch  Gosen  zum   Sinai, "  for  account  of  Goshen  and  its 
mention  on  the  monuments.     The  charms  of  this  landscape  are  highly  praised  in 
a.  letter  written  by  a  clerk  to  his  superior. 

***  Exodus  I.,  13  and  14.     Exodus  V.,  7  and  8. 


UARDA.  231 

afraid  of  our  uncleanness.  In  the  low  country  I  had 
done  better,  and  many  an  Amu  and  Schasu  woman  had 
gladly  come  to  my  tent.  From  the  beginning  I  had  set 
my  mind  on  an  Asiatic. 

"  Many  a  time  maidens  taken  prisoners  in  war  were 
brought  to  be  sold,  but  either  they  did  not  please  me, 
or  they  were  too  dear.  Meantime  my  money  melted 
away,  for  we  enjoyed  life  in  the  time  of  rest  which 
followed  the  working  hours.  There  were  dancers  too 
in  plenty,  in  the  foreign  quarter. 

"  Well,  it  was  just  at  the  time  of  the  holy  feast  of 
Amon-Chem,  that  a  new  transport  of  prisoners  of  war 
arrived,  and  amongst  them  many  women,  who  were 
sold  publicly  to  the  highest  bidder.  The  young  and 
beautiful  ones  were  paid  for  high,  but  even  the  older 
ones  were  too  dear  for  me. 

"  Quite  at  the  last  a  blind  woman  was  led  forward, 
and  a  withered-looking  woman  who  was  dumb,  as  the 
auctioneer,  who  generally  praised  up  the  merits  of  the 
prisoners,  informed  the  buyers.  The  blind  woman  had 
strong  hands,  and  was  bought  by  a  tavern-keeper,  for 
whom  she  turns  the  handmill  to  this  day ; — the  dumb 
woman  held  a  child  in  her  arms,  and  no  one  could  tell 
whether  she  was  young  or  old.  She  looked  as  though 
she  already  lay  in  her  coffin,  and  the  little  one  as 
though  he  would  go  under  the  grass  before  her.  And 
her  hair  was  red,  burning  red,  the  very  color  of  Typhon. 
Her  white  pale  face  looked  neither  bad  nor  good,  only 
weary,  weary  to  death.  On  her  withered  white  arms 
blue  veins  ran  like  dark  cords,  her  hands  hung  feebly 
down,  and  in  them  hung  the  child.  If  a  wind  were  to 
rise,  I  thought  to  myself,  it  would  blow  her  away,  and 
the  little  one  with  her. 


232  UARDA. 

"  The  auctioneer  asked  for  a  bid.  All  were  silent, 
for  the  dumb  shadow  was  of  no  use  for  work;  she  was 
half-dead,  and  a  burial  costs  money. 

"So  passed  several  minutes.  Then  the  auctioneer 
stepped  up  to  her,  and  gave  her  a  blow  with  his  whip, 
that  she  might  rouse  herself  up,  and  appear  less 
miserable  to  the  buyers.  She  shivered  like  a  person 
in  a  fever,  pressed  the  child  closer  to  her,  and  looked 
round  at  every  one  as  though  seeking  for  help — and  me 
full  in  the  face.  What  happened  now  was  a  real 
wonder,  for  her  eyes  were  bigger  than  any  that  I  ever 
saw,  and  a  demon  dwelt  in  them  that  had  power  over 
me  and  ruled  me  to  the  end,  and  that  day  it  be- 
witched me  for  the  first  time. 

"It  was  not  hot  and  I  had  drunk  nothing,  and  yet 
I  acted  against  my  own  will  and  better  judgment  when, 
as  her  eyes  fell  upon  me,  I  bid  all  that  I  possessed 
in  order  to  buy  her.  I  might  have  had  her  cheaper! 
My  companions  laughed  at  me,  the  auctioneer  shrugged 
his  shoulders  as  he  took  my  money,  but  I  took  the  child 
on  my  arm,  helped  the  woman  up,  carried  her  in  a 
boat  over  the  Nile,  loaded  a  stone-cart  with  my  miser- 
able property,  and  drove  her  like  a  block  of  lime  home 
to  the  old  people. 

"  My  mother  shook  her  head,  and  my  father  looked 
as  if  he  thought  me  mad;  but  neither  of  them  said  a 
word.  They  made  up  a  bed  for  her,  and  on  my  spare 
nights  I  built  that  ruined  thing  hard  by — it  was  a 
tidy  hut  once.  Soon  my  mother  grew  fond  of  the 
child.  It  was  quite  small,  and  we  called  it  Pennu* 
because  it  was  so  pretty,  like  a  little  mouse.  I  kept 
away  from  the  foreign  quarter,  and  saved  my  wages, 

*  Pemm  is  the  name  for  the  mouse  in  old  Egyptian. 


UARDA.  233 

and  bought  a  goat,  which  lived  in  front  of  our  door 
when  I  took  the  woman  to  her  own  hut. 

"  She  was  dumb,  but  not  deaf,  only  she  did  not 
understand  our  language ;  but  the  demon  in  her  eyes 
spoke  for  her  and  understood  what  I  said.  She  com- 
prehended everything,  and  could  say  everything  with 
her  eyes ;  but  best  of  all  she  knew  how  to  thank  one. 
No  high-priest  who  at  the  great  hill  festival  praises  the 
Gods  in  long  hymns  for  their  gifts  can  return  thanks 
so  earnestly  with  his  lips  as  she  with  her  dumb  eyes. 
And  when  she  wished  to  pray,  then  it  seemed  as 
though  the  demon  in  her  look  was  mightier  than 
ever. 

"  At  first  I  used  to  be  impatient  enough  when  she 
leaned  so  feebly  against  the  wall,  or  when  the  child 
cried  and  disturbed  my  sleep;  but  she  had  only  to 
look  up,  and  the  demon  pressed  my  heart  together  and 
persuaded  me  that  the  crying  was  really  a  song.  Pennu 
cried  more  sweetly  too  than  other  children,  and  he 
had  such  soft,  white,  pretty  little  fingers. 

"  One  day  he  had  been  crying  for  a  long  time.  At 
last  I  bent  down  over  him,  and  was  going  to  scold  him, 
but  he  seized  me  by  the  beard.  It  was  pretty  to  see ! 
Afterwards  he  was  for  ever  wanting  to  pull  me  about, 
and  his  mother  noticed  that  that  pleased  me,  for  when 
I  brought  home  anything  good,  an  egg  or  a  flower  or 
a  cake,  she  used  to  hold  him  up  and  place  his  little 
hands  on  my  beard. 

"  Yes,  in  a  few  months  the  woman  had  learnt  to 
hold   him    up   high   in    her  arms,    for   with   care  and 
quiet  she  had  grown  stronger.     White  she  always  re- 
mained and  delicate,  but  she  grew   younger  and  more 
ib 


234  UARDA. 

beautiful  from  day  to  day ;  she  can  hardly  have  num- 
bered twenty  years  when  I  bought  her.  What  she  was 
called  I  never  heard ;  nor  did  we  give  her  any  name. 
She  was  '  the  woman,'  and  so  we  called  her. 

"  Eight  moons  passed  by,  and  then  the  little  Mouse 
died.  I  wept  as  she  did,  and  as  I  bent  over  the  little 
corpse  and  let  my  tears  have  free  course,  and  thought — 
now  he  can  never  lift  up  his  pretty  little  finger  to  you 
again ;  then  I  felt  for  the  first  time  the  woman's  soft 
hand  on  my  cheek.  She  stroked  my  rough  beard  as 
a  child  might,  and  with  that  looked  at  me  so  grate- 
fully that  I  felt  as  though  king  Pharaoh  had  all 
at  once  made  me  a  present  of  both  Upper  and  Lower 
Egypt. 

"When  the  Mouse  was  buried  she  got  weaker  again, 
but  my  mother  took  good  care  of  her.  I  lived  with 
her,  like  a  father  with  his  child.  She  was  always 
friendly,  but  if  I  approached  her,  and  tried  to  show 
her  any  fondness,  she  would  look  at  me,  and  the  demon 
in  her  eyes  drove  me  back,  and  I  let  her  alone. 

"  She  grew  healthier  and  stronger  and  more  and 
more  beautiful,  so  beautiful  that  I  kept  her  hidden, 
and  was  consumed  by  the  longing  to  make  her  my 
wife.  A  good  housewife  she  never  became,  to  be 
sure ;  her  hands  were  so  tender,  and  she  did  not  even 
know  how  to  milk  the  goat.  My  mother  did  that  and 
everything  else  for  her. 

"  In  the  daytime  she  stayed  in  her  hut  and  worked, 
for  she  was  very  skillful  at  woman's  work,  and  wove 
lace  as  fine  as  cobwebs,  which  my  mother  sold  that 
she  might  bring  home  perfumes  with  the  proceeds. 
She  was  very  fond  of  them,  and  of  flowers  too ;  and 
Uarda  in  there  takes  after  her. 


UARDA.  235 

"  In  the  evening,  when  the  folk  from  the  other  side 
had  left  the  City  of  the  Dead,  she  would  often  walk 
up  and  down  the  valley  here,  thoughtful  and  often 
looking  up  at  the  moon,  which  she  was  especially 
fond  of. 

"  One  evening  in  the  winter-time  I  came  home.  It 
was  already  dark,  and  I  expected  to  find  her  in  front 
of  the  door.  All  at  once,  about  a  hundred  steps  be- 
hind old  Hekt's  cave,  I  heard  a  troop  of  jackals  bark- 
ing so  furiously  that  I  said  to  myself  directly  they  had 
attacked  a  human  being,  and  I  knew  too  who  it  was, 
though  no  one  had  told  me,  and  the  woman  could  not 
call  or  cry  out.  Frantic  with  terror,  I  tore  a  firebrand 
from  the  hearth  and  the  stake  to  which  the  goat  was 
fastened  out  of  the  ground,  rushed  to  her  help,  drove 
away  the  beasts,  and  carried  her  back  senseless  to  the 
hut.  My  mother  helped  me,  and  we  called  her  back 
to  life.  When  we  were  alone,  I  wept  like  a  child  for 
joy  at  her  escape,  and  she  let  me  kiss  her,  and  then 
she  became  my  wife,  three  years  after  I  had  bought 
her. 

"  She  bore  me  a  little  maid,  that  she  herself  named 
Uarda ;  for  she  showed  us  a  rose,  and  then  pointed  to 
the  child,  and  we  understood  her  without  words. 

"  Soon  afterwards  she  died. 

"  You  are  a  priest,  but  I  tell  you  that  when  I  am 
summoned  before  Osiris,  if  I  am  admitted  amongst 
the  blessed,  I  will  ask  whether  I  shall  meet  my  wife, 
and  if  the  doorkeeper  says  no,  he  may  thrust  me  back, 
and  I  will  go  down  cheerfully  to  the  damned,  if  I  find 
her  again  there." 

"  And  did  no  sign  ever  betray  her  origin  ?  "  asked 
the  physician. 


236  UARDA. 

The  soldier  had  hidden  his  face  in  his  hands ;  he 
was  weeping  aloud,  and  did  not  hear  the  question. 
But  the  paraschites  answered  : 

"  She  was  the  child  of  some  great  personage,  for  in 
her  clothes  we  found  a  golden  jewel  with  a  precious 
stone  inscribed  with  strange  characters.  It  is  very 
costly,  and  my  wife  is  keeping  it  for  the  little  one." 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

IN  the  earliest  glimmer  of  dawn  the  following  day, 
the  physician  Nebsecht  having  satisfied  himself  as  to 
the  state  of  the  sick  girl,  left  the  paraschites'  hut  and 
made  his  way  in  deepest  thought  to  the  Terrace  Temple 
•  of  Hatasu,  to  find  his  friend  Pentaur  and  compose  the 
writing  which  he  had  promised  to  the  old  man. 

As  the  sun  arose  in  radiance  he  reached  the  sanctu- 
ary. He  expected  to  hear  the  morning  song  of  the 
priests,  but  all  was  silent.  He  knocked  and  the  porter, 
still  half-asleep,  opened  the  door. 

Nebsecht  enquired  for  the  chief  of  the  Temple. 

"  He  died  in  the  night,"  said  the  man  yawning. 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  "  cried  the  physician  in  sudden 
terror,  "  who  is  dead  ?" 

"  Our  good  old  chief,  Rui." 

Nebsecht  breathed  again,  and  asked  for  Pentaur. 

"  You  belong  to  the  House  of  Seti,"  said  the  door- 
keeper, "  and  you  do  not  know  that  he  is  deposed 
from  his  office  ?  The  holy  fathers  have  refused  to 
celebrate  the  birth  of  Ra  with  him.  He  sings  for  him- 
self now,  alone  up  on  the  watch-tower.  There  you 
will  find  him." 


UARDA.  237 

Nebsecht  strode  quickly  up  the  stairs.  Several  of 
the  priests  placed  themselves  together  in  groups  as 
soon  as  they  saw  him,  and  began  singing.  He  paid 
no  heed  to  them,  however,  but  hastened  on  to  the 
uppermost  terrace,  where  he  found  his  friend  occupied 
in  writing. 

Soon  he  learnt  all  that  had  happened,  and  wrath- 
fully  he  cried :  "  You  are  too  honest  for  those  wise 
gentlemen  in  the  House  of  Seti,  and  too  pure  and 
zealous  for  the  rabble  here.  I  knew  it,  I  knew  what 
would  come  of  it  if  they  introduced  you  to  the  myste- 
ries. For  us  initiated  there  remains  only  the  choice 
between  lying  and  silence." 

"  The  old  error !"  said  Pentaur,  "  we  know  that  the 
Godhead  is  One,  we  name  it,  'The  All,'*  'The  Veil  of 
the  All,'**  or  simply  '  Ra.'  But  under  the  name  Ra  we 
understand  something  different  than  is  known  to  the 
common  herd;  for  to  us,  the  Universe  is  God,  and  in 
each  of  its  parts  we  recognize  a  manifestation  of  that 
highest  being  without  whom  nothing  is,  in  the  heights 
above  or  in  the  depths  below." 

"  To  me  you  can  say  everything,  for  I  also  am  ini- 
tiated," interrupted  Nebsecht. 

*  The  sacred  text  repeatedly  calls  God  the  "One,"  the  "only  One."  The 
pantheistic  teaching  of  the  Mysteries  is  most  clearly  expressed  in  those  texts 
which  are  found  in  almost  all  the  Kings'  tombs  in  Thebes,  and  on  the  walls  of 
the  entrance  halls.  They  have  been  collected,  and  contain  praises  to  Ra, 


on  the  Human  Soul,  are  the  principal  sources  for  the  study  of  the  secret  teach- 
ing of  the  Egyptians.  The  views  brought  forward  and  developed  in  these  dis- 
courses seem  first  to  have  come  to  perfection  in  the  new  kingdom.  The  Egyp- 
tian religion  proceeded  from  a  comparatively  rude  Sun  and  Nile  worship. 

**  Teb  temt.     With  a  similar  meaning  Eusebius  gives  to  the  universe  the 
form  of  a  Gieek  Theta  (®). 


238  UARDA. 

"  But  neither  from  the  laity  do  I  withhold  it,"  cried 
Pentaur,  "  only  to  those  who  are  incapable  of  under- 
standing the  whole,  do  I  show  the  different  parts.  Am 
I  a  liar  if  I  do  not  say,  '  I  speak,'  but  '  my  mouth  speaks,' 
if  I  affirm,  'Your  eye  sees,'  when  it  is  you  yourself 
who  are  the  seer.  When  the  light  of  the  only  One 
manifests  itself,  then  I  fervently  render  thanks  to  him 
in  hymns,  and  the  most  luminous  of  his  forms  I  name 
Ra.  When  I  look  upon  yonder  green  fields,  I  call 
upon  the  faithful  to  give  thanks  to  Rennut,*  that  is, 
that  active  manifestation  of  the  One,  through  which 
the  corn  attains  to  its  ripe  maturity.  Am  I  filled  with 
wonder  at  the  bounteous  gifts  with  which  that  divine 
stream  whose  origin  is  hidden,  blesses  our  land,  then 
I  adore  the  One  as  the  God  Hapi,**  the  secret  one. 
Whether  we  view  the  sun,  the  harvest,  or  the  Nile, 
whether  we  contemplate  with  admiration  the  unity  and 
harmony  of  the  visible  or  invisible  world,  still  it  is 
always  with  the  Only,  the  All-embracing  One  we  have 
to  do,  to  whom  we  also  ourselves  belong  as  those 
of  his  manifestations  in  which  he  places  his  self- 
consciousness.  The  imagination  of  the  multitude  is 
limited " 

"  And  so  we  lions,***  give  them  the  morsel  that 
we  can  devour  at  one  gulp,  finely  chopped  up,  and 
diluted  with  broth  as  if  for  the  weak  stomach  of  a 
sick  man." 

"  Not  so ;  we  only  feel  it  our  duty  to  temper  and 
sweeten  the  sharp  potion,  which  for  men  even  is  almost 

*  Goddess  of  the  harvest. 
**  The  Nile. 

"  The  priests,"  says  Clement  of  Alexandria,  "  allow  none  to  be  partici- 
pators in  their  mysteries,  except  kings  or  such  amongst  themselves  as  are  dis- 
tinguished for  virtue  or  wisdom."  The  same  thing  is  shown  by  the  monuments 
in  many  places. 


UARDA.  239 

too  strong,  before  we  offer  it  to  the  children,  the  babes 
in  spirit.  The  sages  of  old  veiled  indeed  the  highest 
truths  in  allegorical  forms,  in  symbols,  and  finally  in  a 
beautiful  and  richly-colored  mythos,  but  they  brought 
them  near  to  the  multitude  shrouded  it  is  true  but  still 
discernible." 

"  Discernible  ?"  said  the  physician,  "  discernible  ? 
Why  then  the  veil  ?" 

"And  do  you  imagine  that  the  multitude  could  look 
the  naked  truth  in  the  face,*  and  not  despair?" 

"  Can  I,  can  any  one  who  looks  straight  forward, 
and  strives  to  see  the  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth  ?" 
cried  the  physician.  "  We  both  of  us  know  that  things 
only  are,  to  us,  such  as  they  picture  themselves  in  the 
prepared  mirror  of  our  souls.  I  see  grey,  grey,  and 
white,  white,  and  have  accustomed  myself  in  my  yearn- 
ing after  knowledge,  not  to  attribute  the  smallest  part 
to  my  own  idiosyncrasy,  if  such  indeed  there  be  existing 
in  my  empty  breast.  You  look  straight  onwards  as  I 
do,  but  in  you  each  idea  is  transfigured,  for  in  your  soul 
invisible  shaping  powers  are  at  work,  which  set  the 
crooked  straight,  clothe  the  commonplace  with  charm, 
the  repulsive  with  beauty.  You  are  a  poet,  an  artist;  I 
only  seek  for  truth." 

"  Only  ?"  said  Pentaur,  "it  is  just  on  account  of  that 
effort  that  I  esteem  you  so  highly,  and,  as  you  already 
know,  I  also  desire  nothing  but  the  truth." 

"I  know,  I  know,"  said  the  physician  nodding,  "but 
our  ways  run  side  by  side  without  ever  touching,  and 
our  final  goal  is  the  reading  of  a  riddle,  of  which 


*  Tn  Snis  the  statue  of  Athene  (Neith)  has  the  following  inscription:  "T  nm 
the  All,  the  Past,  the  Present,  and  the  Future,  my  veil  has  no  mortal  yet  lifted." 
Plutarch,  Isis  and  Osiris  9,  a  similar  quotation  by  Proclus,  in  Plato's  Timaeus. 


24°  UARDA. 

there  are  many  solutions.  You  believe  yourself  to  have 
found  the  right  one,  and  perhaps  none  exists." 

"  Then  let  us  content  ourselves  with  the  nearest  and 
the  most  beautiful,"  said  Pentaur. 

"  The  most  beautiful  ?"  cried  Nebsecht  indignantly. 
"  Is  that  monster,  whom  you  call  God,  beautiful — the  giant 
who  for  ever  regenerates  himself  that  he  may  devour 
himself  again  ?  God  is  the  All,  you  say,  who  suffices 
to  himself.  Eternal  he  is  and  shall  be,  because  all  that 
goes  forth  from  him  is  absorbed  by  him  again,  and 
the  great  niggard  bestows  no  grain  of  sand,  no  ray  of 
light,  no  breath  of  wind,  without  reclaiming  it  for  his 
household,  which  is  ruled  by  no  design,  no  reason,  no 
goodness,  but  by  a  tyrannical  necessity,  whose  slave  he 
himself  is.  The  coward  hides  behind  the  cloud  of 
incomprehensibility,  and  can  be  revealed  only  by  him- 
self— I  would  I  could  strip  him  of  the  veil !  Thus  I 
see  the  thing  that  you  call  God !" 

"  A  ghastly  picture,"  said  Pentaur,  "  because  you 
forget  that  we  recognize  reason  to  be  the  essence 
of  the  All,  the  penetrating  and  moving  power  of  the 
universe  which  is  manifested  in  the  harmonious  work- 
ing together  of  its  parts,  and  in  ourselves  also,  since 
we  are  formed  out  of  its  substance,  and  inspired  with 
its  soul." 

"  Is  the  warfare  of  life  in  any  way  reasonable  ?'' 
asked  Nebsecht.  "  Is  this  eternal  destruction  in  order  to 
build  up  again  especially  well-designed  and  wise  ?  And 
with  this  introduction  of  reason  into  the  All,  you  pro- 
vide yourself  with  a  self-devised  ruler,  who  terribly  re- 
sembles the  gracious  masters  and  mistresses  that  you 
exhibit  to  the  people." 


UARDA.  241 

"Only  apparently,"  answered  Pentaur, "  only  because 
that  which  transcends  sense  is  communicable  through 
the  medium  of  the  senses  alone.  When  God  manifests 
himself  as  the  wisdom  of  the  world,  we  call  him  '  the 
Word,'  '  He,  who  covers  his  limbs  with  names,'*  as  the 
sacred  Text  expresses  itself,  is  the  power  which  gives 
to  things  their  distinctive  forms ;  the  scarabaeus,  '  which 
enters  life  as  its  own  son'**  reminds  us  of  the  ever  self- 
renewing  creative  power  which  causes  you  to  call  our 
merciful  and  benevolent  God  a  monster,  but  which  you 
can  deny  as  little  as  you  can  the  happy  choice  of  the 
type ;  for,  as  you  know,  there  are  only  male  scarabei, 
and  this  animal  reproduces  itself."  *** 

Nebsecht  smiled.  "  If  all  the  doctrines  of  the  mys- 
teries," he  said,  "  have  no  more  truth  than  this  happily 
chosen  image,  they  are  in  a  bad  way.  These  beetles  have 
for  years  been  my  friends  and  companions.  I  know  their 
family  life,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  there  are  males 
and  females  amongst  them  as  amongst  cats,  apes,  and 
human  beings.  Your  '  good  God '  I  do  not  know,  and 
what  I  least  comprehend  in  thinking  it  over  quietly  is 
the  circumstance  that  you  distinguish  a  good  and  evil 
principle  in  the  world.  If  the  All  is  indeed  God,  if  God 
as  the  scriptures  teach,  is  goodness,  and  if  besides  him  is 
nothing  at  all,  where  is  a  place  to  be  found  for  evil  ?" 

"  You  talk  like  a  school-boy,"  said  Pentaur  indig- 
nantly. "  All  that  is,  is  good  and  reasonable  in  itself, 
but  the  infinite  One,  who  prescribes  his  own  laws  and 
his  own  paths,  grants  to  the  finite  its  continuance 
through  continual  renewal,  and  in  the  changing  forms 

*  From  inscriptions  at  Abydos,  and  the  Praises  of  Ra  at  Bibnn  el  Muluk. 
**  From  the  same  Texts. 
***  According  to  llorapollon,  where   it   is  stated:    ZK  ILOVOV    Trarobs    TTJU 


242  UARDA. 

of  the  finite  progresses  for  evermore.  What  we  call 
evil,  darkness,  wickedness,  is  in  itself  divine,  good, 
reasonable,  and  clear;  but  it  appears  in  another  light 
to  our  clouded  minds,  because  we  perceive  the  way 
only  and  not  the  goal,  the  details  only,  and  not  the 
whole.  Even  so,  superficial  listeners  blame  the  music, 
in  which  a  dis<9brd  is  heard,  which  the  harper  has  only 
evoked  from  the  strings  that  his  hearers  may  more 
deeply  feel  the  purity  of  the  succeeding  harmony;  even 
so,  a  fool  blames  the  painter  who  has  colored  his 
board  with  black,  and  does  not  wait  for  the  completion 
of  the  picture  which  shall  be  thrown  into  clearer  relief 
by  the  dark  background;  even  so,  a  child  chides  the 
noble  tree,  whose  fruit  rots,  that  a  new  life  may  spring 
up  from  its  kernel.  Apparent  evil  is  but  an  antechamber 
to  higher  bliss,  as  every  sunset  is  but  veiled  by  night, 
and  will  soon  show  itself  again  as  the  red  dawn  of  a 
new  day." 

"How  convincing  all  that  sounds!"  answered  the 
physician,  "all,  even  the  terrible,  wins  charm  from  your 
lips;  but  I  could  invert  your  proposition,  and  declare 
that  it  is  evil  that  rules  the  world,  and  sometimes  gives 
us  one  drop  of  sweet  content,  in  order  that  we  may 
more  keenly  feel  the  bitterness  of  life.  You  see  har- 
mony and  goodness  in  everything.  I  have  observed 
that  passion  awakens  life,  that  all  existence  is  a  conflict, 
that  one  being  devours  another." 

"And  do  you  not  feel  the  beauty  of  visible  creation, 
and  does  not  the  immutable  law  in  everything  fill  you 
with  admiration  and  humility  ?  " 

"For  beauty,"  replied  Nebsecht,  "I  have  never 
sought;  the  organ  is  somehow  wanting  in  me  to  under- 
stand it  of  myself,  though  I  willingly  allow  you  to 


UARDA.  243 

mediate  between  us.  But  of  law  in  nature  1  fully  ap- 
preciate the  worth,  for  that  is  the  veritable  soul  of  the 
universe.  You  call  the  One  'Temt,'  that  is  to  say  the 
total — the  unity  which  is  reached  by  the  addition  of 
many  units;  and  that  pleases  me,  for  the  elements  of 
the  universe  and  the  powers  which  prescribe  the  paths 
of  life  are  strictly  defined  by  measure  and  number — 
but  irrespective  of  beauty  or  benevolence." 

"Such  views,"  cried  Pentaur  troubled,  "are  the  re- 
sult of  your  strange  studies.  You  kill  and  destroy,  in 
order,  as  you  yourself  say,  to  come  upon  the  track  of 
the  secrets  of  life.  Look  out  upon  nature,  develop 
the  faculty  which  you  declare  to  be  wanting  in  you, 
and  the  beauty  of  creation  will  teach  you  without  my 
assistance  that  you  are  praying  to  a  false  god." 

"I  do  not  pray,"  said  Nebsecht,  "for  the  law  which 
moves  the  world  is  as  little  affected  by  prayers  as  the 
current  of  the  sands  in  your  hour-glass.  Who  tells  you 
that  I  do  not  seek  to  come  upon  the  track  of  the  first 
beginning  of  things?  I  proved  to  you  just  now  that  I 
know  more  about  the  origin  of  Scarabei  than  you  do. 
I  have  killed  many  an  animal,  not  only  to  study  its 
organism,  but  also  to  investigate  how  it  has  built  up 
its  form.  But  precisely  in  this  work  my  organ  for 
beauty  has  become  blunt  rather  than  keen.  I  tell  you 
that  the  beginning  of  things  is  not  more  attractive  to 
contemplate  than  their  death  and  decomposition." 

Pentaur  looked  at  the  physician  enquiringly. 

"I  also  for  once,"  continued  Nebsecht,  "will  speak 
in  figures.  Look  at  this  wine,  how  pure  it  is,  how 
fragrant;  and  yet  it  was  trodden  from  the  grape  by 
the  brawny  feet  of  the  vintagers.  And  those  full  cars 


244  UARDA. 

of  corn !  They  gleam  golden  yellow,  and  will  yield  us 
snow-white  meal  when  they  are  ground,  and  yet  they 
grew  from  a  rotting  seed.  Lately  you  were  praising 
to  me  the  beauty  of  the  great  Hall  of  Columns  nearly 
completed  in  the  Temple  of  Amon  over  yonder  in 
Thebes.*  How  posterity  will  admire  it!  I  saw  that 
Hall  arise.  There  lay  masses  of  freestone  in  wild  con- 
fusion, dust  in  heaps  that  took  away  my  breath,  and 
three  months  since  I  was  sent  over  there,  because 
above  a  hundred  workmen  engaged  in  stone-polishing 
under  the  burning  sun  had  been  beaten  to  death. 
Were  I  a  poet  like  you,  I  would  show  you  a  hundred 
similar  pictures,  in  which  you  would  not  find  much 
beauty.  In  the  meantime,  we  have  enough  to  do  in 
observing  the  existing  order  of  things,  and  investigating 
the  laws  by  which  it  is  governed." 

"  I  have  never  clearly  understood  your  efforts,  and 
have  difficulty  in  comprehending  why  you  did  not  turn 
to  the  science  of  the  haruspices,"  said  Pentaur.  "  Do 
you  then  believe  that  the  changing,  and — owing  to  the 
conditions  by  which  they  are  surrounded — the  depen- 
dent life  of  plants  and  animals  is  governed  by  law, 
rule,  and  numbers  like  the  movement  of  the  stars?" 

"What  a  question!  Is  the  strong  and  mighty  hand, 
which  compels  yonder  heavenly  bodies  to  roll  onward 
in  their  carefully-appointed  orbits,  not  delicate  enough 
to  prescribe  the  conditions  of  the  flight  of  the  bird, 
and  the  beating  of  the  human  heart?" 

"•  There  we  are  again  with  the  heart,"  said  the  poet 
smiling,  "are  you  any  nearer  your  aim?" 

*  Begun  by  Rameses  I.  continued  bv  Seti  I.,  completed  by  Rameses  IT. 
The  remains  of  this  immense  hall,  with  its  134  columns,  have  not  their  equal  in 
the  world. 


UARDA.  245 

The  physician  became  very  grave.  "  Perhaps  to- 
morrow even,"  he  said,  "  I  may  have  what  I  need.  You 
have  your  palette  there  with  red  and  black  color, 
and  a  writing  reed.  May  I  use  this  sheet  of  papyrus?" 

"  Of  course;  but  first  tell  me  .  .  .  ." 

"  Do  not  ask ;  you  would  not  approve  of  my  scheme, 
and  there  would  only  be  a  fresh  dispute." 

"  I  think,"  said  the  poet,  laying  his  hand  on  his 
friend's  shoulder,  "  that  we  have  no  reason  to  fear  dis- 
putes. So  far  they  have  been  the  cement,  the  refresh- 
ipg  dew  of  our  friendship." 

"  So  long  as  they  treated  of  ideas  only,  and  not  of 
deeds." 

"You  intend  to  get  possession  of  a  human  heart!" 
cried  the  poet.  "  Think  of  what  you  are  doing !  The 
heart  is  the  vessel  of  that  effluence  of  the  universal 
soul,  which  lives  in  us." 

"  Are  you  so  sure  of  that  ?"  cried  the  physician  with 
some  irritation,  "  then  give  me  the  proof.  Have  you 
ever  examined  a  heart,  has  any  one  member  of  my 
profession  done  so  ?  The  hearts  of  criminals  and 
prisoners  of  war  even  are  declared  sacred  from  touch, 
and  when  we  stand  helpless  by  a  patient,  and  see  our 
medicines  work  harm  as  often  as  good,  why  is  it  ? 
Only  because  we  physicians  are  expected  to  work  as 
blindly  as  an  astronomer,  if  he  were  required  to 
look  at  the  stars  through  a  board.  At  Heliopolis  I 
entreated  the  great  Urma*  Rahotep,  the  truly  learned 
chief  of  our  craft,  and  who  held  me  in  esteem,  to  allow 
me  to  examine  the  heart  of  a  dead  Amu ;  but  he  re- 
fused me,  because  the  great  Sechet**  leads  virtuous 

*  High-priest  of  Heliopolis.  **  The  lion-headed  goddess. 


246  UARDA. 

Semites  also  into  the  fields  of  the  blessed.*  And  then 
followed  all  the  old  scruples  :  that  to  cut  up  the  heart 
of  a  beast  even  is  sinful,  because  it  also  is  the 
vehicle  of  a  soul,  perhaps  a  condemned  and  miserable 
human  soul,  which  before  it  can  return  to  the  One, 
must  undergo  purification  by  passing  through  the  bodies 
of  animals.  I  was  not  satisfied,  and  declared  to  him 
that  my  great-grandfather  Nebsecht,  before  he  wrote  his 
treatise  on  the  heart,**  must  certainly  have  examined 
such  an  organ.  Then  he  answered  me  that  the  divinity 
had  revealed  to  him  what  he  had  written,  and  therefore 
his  work  had  been  accepted  amongst  the  sacred  writings 
of  Toth,***  which  stood  fast  and  unassailable  as  the 
laws  of  the  world ;  he  wished  to  give  me  peace  for  quiet 
work,  and  I  also,  he  said,  might  be  a  chosen  spirit,  the 
divinity  might  perhaps  vouchsafe  revelations  to  me  too. 
I  was  young  at  that  time,  and  spent  my  nights  in  prayer, 
but  I  only  wasted  away,  and  my  spirit  grew  darker  in- 
stead of  clearer.  Then  I  killed  in  secret — first  a  fowl, 
then  rats,  then  a  rabbit,  and  cut  up  their  hearts,  and  fol- 
lowed the  vessels  that  lead  out  of  them,  and  know  little 
more  now  than  I  did  at  first;  but  I  must  get  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  truth,  and  I  must  have  a  human  heart." 

"  What  will  that  do  for  you  ?"  asked  Pentaur  ;  "  you 
cannot  hope  to  perceive  the  invisible  and  the  infinite 
with  your  human  eyes  ?" 

"  Do  you  know  my  great-grandfather's  treatise  ?" 
"  A  little,"  answered  the  poet ;  "  he  said  that  wher- 
ever he  laid  his  finger,  whether  on  the  head,  the  hands, 

*  According  to  the  inscription  accompanying  the  famous  representations 
of  the  four  nations  (Egyptians,  Semites,  Libyans,  and  Ethiopians)  in  the  tomb  of 
Seti  i. 

**"  This  treatise  forms  the  most  interesting  section  of  the  papyrus  Ehers. 
Puolished  by  W.  Kngelmann,  Leipzig. 

***  Called  by  the  Greeks  "  Hermetic  Hooks."  The  Papyrus  Ebers  is  the 
work  called  by  Clemens  of  Alexandria  "  the  Book  of  Remedies." 


UARDA.  247 

or  the  stomach,  he  everywhere  met  with  the  heart, 
because  its  vessels  go  into  all  the  members,  and  the 
heart  is  the  meeting  point  of  all  these  vessels.  Then 
Nebsecht  proceeds  to  state  how  these  are  distributed 
in  the  different  members,  and  shows — is  it  not  so  ? — 
that  the  various  mental  states,  such  as  anger,  grief, 
aversion,  and  also  the  ordinary  use  of  the  word  heart, 
declare  entirely  for  his  view." 

"  That  is  it.  We  have  already  discussed  it,  and 
I  believe  that  he  is  right,  so  far  as  the  blood  is  con- 
cerned, and  the  animal  sensations.  But  the  pure  and 
luminous  intelligence  in  us — that  has  another  seat," 
and  the  physician  struck  his  broad  but  low  forehead 
with  his  hand.  "  I  have  observed  heads  by  the  hundred 
down  at  the  place  of  execution,  and  I  have  also  re- 
moved the  top  of  the  skulls  of  living  animals.  But 
now  let  me  write,  before  we  are  disturbed."* 

The  physician  took  the  reed,  moistened  it  with 
black  color  prepared  from  burnt  papyrus,  and  in 
elegant  hieratic  characters**  wrote  the  paper  for  the 
paraschites,  in  which  he  confessed  to  having  impelled 
him  to  the  theft  of  a  heart,  and  in  the  most  binding 

*  Human  brains  are  prescribed  for  a  malady  of  the  eyes  in  the  Ebers  papy- 
rus. Herophilus,  one  of  the  first  scholars  of  the  Alexandrine  Museum,  studied 
not  only  the  bodies  of  executed  criminals,  but  made  his  experiments  also  on  living 
malefactors.  He  maintained  that  the  four  cavities  of  the  human  brain  are  the 
seat  of  the  soul. 

**  At  the  time  of  our  narrative  the  Egyptians  had  two  kinds  of  writing — the 
hieroglyphic,  which  was  generally  used  for  monumental  inscriptions,  and  in 
which  the  letters  consisted  of  conventional  representations  of  various  objects, 
mathematical  and  arbitrary  symbols,  and  the  hieratic,  used  for  writing  on  papy- 
rus, and  in  which,  with  the  view  of  saving  time,  the  written  pictures  underwent 
so  many  alterations  and  abbreviations  that  the  originals  could  hardly  be  recog- 
nized. In  the  8th  century  there  was  a  further  abridgment  of  the  hieratic  writing, 
which  was  called  the  demotic,  or  people's  writing,  and  was  used  in  commerce. 
Whilst  the  hieroglyphic  and  hieratic  writings  laid  the  foundations  of  the  old  sa- 
cred dialect,  the  demotic  letters  were  only  iised  to  write  the  spoken  language  of 
the  people.  E.  de  Rouge's  Chrestomathie  Egyptienne.  H.  Brugsch's  Hiero- 
glyphische  Grammatik.  Le  Page  Renouf's  shorter  hieroglyphical  grammar. 
Ebers'  Ueber  das  Hieroglyphische  Schriftsystem,  2nd  edition,  1875,  in  the  lec- 
tures of  Virchow  Holtaendorff. 


248  UARDA. 

manner  declared  himself  willing  to  take  the  old  man's 
guilt  upon  himself  before  Osiris  and  the  judges  of 
the  dead. 

When  he  had  finished,  Pentaur  held  out  his  hand 
for  the  paper,  but  Nebsecht  folded  it  together,  placed 
it  in  a  little  bag  in  which  lay  an  amulet  that  his  dying 
mother  had  hung  round  his  neck,  and  said,  breathing 
deeply : 

"  That  is  done.     Farewell,  Pentaur." 

But  the  poet  held  the  physician  back ;  he  spoke  to 
him  with  the  warmest  words,  and  conjured  him  to 
abandon  his  enterprise.  His  prayers,  however,  had  no 
power  to  touch  Nebsecht,  who  only  strove  forcibly  to 
disengage  his  finger  from  Pentaur's  strong  hand,  which 
held  him  as  in  a  clasp  of  iron.  The  excited  poet  did 
not  remark  that  he  was  hurting  his  friend,  until  after 
a  new  and  vain  attempt  at  freeing  himself,  Nebsecht 
cried  out  in  pain,  "You  are  crushing  my  finger!" 

A  smile  passed  over  the  poet's  face,  he  loosened 
his  hold  on  the  physician,  and  stroked  the  reddened 
hand  like  a  mother  who  strives  to  divert  her  child 
from  pain. 

"  Don't  be  angry  with  me,  Nebsecht,"  he  said,  "you 
know  my  unlucky  fists,  and  to-day  they  really  ought 
to  hold  you  fast,  for  you  have  too  mad  a  purpose  on 
hand." 

"  Mad  ?"  said  the  physician,  whilst  he  smiled  in  his 
turn.  "  It  may  be  so ;  but  do  you  not  know  that  we 
Egyptians  all  have  a  peculiar  tenderness  for  our  follies, 
and  are  ready  to  sacrifice  house  and  land  to  them  ?" 

"  Our  own  house  and  our  own  land,"  cried  the 
poet :  and  then  added  seriously,  "  but  not  the  existence, 
not  the  happiness  of  another." 


UARDA.  249 

"  Have  I  not  told  you  that  I  do  not  look  upon  the 
heart  as  the  seat  of  our  intelligence  ?  So  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  I  would  as  soon  be  buried  with  a  ram's 
heart  as  with  my  own." 

"  I  do  not  speak  of  the  plundered  dead,  but  of  the 
living,"  said  the  poet.  "  If  the  deed  of  the  paraschites 
is  discovered,  he  is  undone,  and  you  would  only  have 
saved  that  sweet  child  in  the  hut  behind  there,  to 
fling  her  into  deeper  misery." 

Nebsecht  looked  at  the  other  with  as  much  astonish- 
ment and  dismay,  as  if  he  had  been  awakened  from 
sleep  by  bad  tidings.  Then  he  cried  :  "  All  that  I  have, 
I  would  share  with  the  old  man  and  Uarda." 

"  And  who  would  protect  her  ?" 

"  Her  father." 

"  That  rough  drunkard  who  to-morrow  or  the  day 
after  may  be  sent  no  one  knows  where." 

"  He  is  a  good  fellow,"  said  the  physician  inter- 
rupting his  friend,  and  stammering  violently.  "  But 
who  would  do  anything  to  the  child  ?  She  is  so — 
so  ....  She  is  so  charming,  so  perfectly  sweet  and 
lovely." 

With  these  last  words  he  cast  down  his  eyes  and 
reddened  like  a  girl. 

"  You  understand  that,"  he  said,  "better  than  I  do; 
yes,  and  you  also  think  her  beautiful !  Strange !  you 
must  not  laugh  if  I  confess — I  am  but  a  man  like 
every  one  else — when  I  confess,  that  I  believe  I  have 
at  length  discovered  in  myself  the  missing  organ  for 
beauty  of  form — not  believe  merely,  but  truly  have  dis- 
covered it,  for  it  has  not  only  spoken,  but  cried,  raged, 
till  I  felt  a  rushing  in  my  ears,  and  for  the  first  time 
was  attracted  more  by  the  sufferer  than  by  suffering. 


250  UARDA. 

I  have  sat  in  the  hut  as  though  spell-bound,  and 
ga/.ed  at  her  hair,  at  her  eyes,  at  how  she  breathed. 
They  must  long  since  have  missed  me  at  the  House  of 
Seti,  perhaps  discovered  all  my  preparations,  when 
seeking  me  in  my  room  !  For  two  days  and  nights  I 
have  allowed  myself  to  be  drawn  away  from  my  work, 
for  the  sake  of  this  child.  Were  I  one  of  the  laity, 
whom  you  would  approach,  I  should  say  that  demons 
had  bewitched  me.  But  it  is  not  that," — and  with 
these  words  the  physician's  eyes  flamed  up — "  it  is  not 
that !  The  animal  in  me,  the  low  instincts  of  which  the 
heart  is  the  organ,  and  which  swelled  my  breast  at  her 
bedside,  they  have  mastered  the  pure  and  fine  emotions 
here — here  in  this  brain ;  and  in  the  very  moment  when 
I  hoped  to  know  as  the  God  knows  whom  you  call  the 
Prince  of  knowledge,  in  that  moment  I  must  learn  that 
the  animal  in  me  is  stronger  than  that  which  I  call 
my  God." 

The  physician,  agitated  and  excited,  had  fixed 
his  eyes  on  the  ground  during  these  last  words,  and 
hardly  noticed  the  poet,  who  listened  to  him  wonder- 
ing and  full  of  sympathy.  For  a  time  both  were  silent; 
then  Pentaur  laid  his  hand  on  his  friend's  hand,  and 
said  cordially : 

"  My  soul  is  no  stranger  to  what  you  feel,  and 
heart  and  head,  if  I  may  use  your  own  words,  have 
known  a  like  emotion.  But  I  know  that  what  we  feel, 
although  it  may  be  foreign  to  our  usual  sensations,  is 
loftier  and  more  precious  than  these,  not  lower.  Not 
the  animal,  Nebsecht,  is  it  that  you  feel  in  yourself,  but 
God.  Goodness  is  the  most  beautiful  attribute  of  the 
divine,  and  you  have  always  been  well-disposed  towards 
great  and  small ;  but  1  ask  you,  have  you  ever  before 


UARDA.  251 

felt  so  irresistibly  impelled  to  pour  out  an  ocean  of 
goodness  on  another  being,  whether  for  Uarda  you 
would  not  more  joyfully  and  more  self-forgetfully  sacri- 
fice all  that  you  have,  and  all  that  you  are,  than  to 
father  and  mother  and  your  oldest  friend  ?" 

Nebsecht  nodded  assentingly. 

"  Well  then,"  cried  Pentaur,  "  follow  your  new  and 
godlike  emotion,  be  good  to  Uarda  and  do  not  sacrifice 
her  to  your  vain  wishes.  My  poor  friend !  With  your 
enquiries  into  the  secrets  of  life,  you  have  never  looked 
round  upon  itself,  which  spreads  open  and  inviting 
before  our  eyes.  Do  you  imagine  that  the  maiden 
who  can  thus  inflame  the  calmest  thinker  in  Thebes, 
will  not  be  coveted  by  a  hundred  of  the  common  herd 
when  her  protector  fails  her?  Need  I  tell  you  that 
amongst  the  dancers  in  the  foreign  quarter  nine  out 
of  ten  are  the  daughters  of  outlawed  parents  ?  Can 
you  endure  the  thought  that  by  your  hand  innocence 
may  be  consigned  to  vice,  the  rose  trodden  under  foot 
in  the  mud  ?  Is  the  human  heart  that  you  desire, 
worth  an  Uarda  ?  Now  go,  and  to-morrow  come  again 
to  me  your  friend  who  understands  how  to  sympathize 
with  all  you  feel,  and  to  whom  you  have  approached 
so  much  the  nearer  to-day  that  you  have  learned  to 
share  his  purest  happiness." 

Pentaur  held  out  his  hand  to  the  physician,  who 
held  it  some  time,  then  went  thoughtfully  and  lingering- 
ly,  unmindful  of  the  burning  glow  of  the  mid-day  sun, 
over  the  mountain  into  the  valley  of  the  king's  graves 
towards  the  hut  of  the  paraschites. 

Here  he  found  the  soldier  with  his  daughter. 
"  Where  is  the  old  man  ?"  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  He  has  gone  to  his  work  in  the  house  of  the  em- 


252  UARDA. 

balmer,"  was  the  answer.  "  If  anything  should  happen 
to  him  he  bade  me  tell  you  not  to  forget  the  writing 
and  the  book.  He  was  as  though  out  of  his  mind 
when  he  left  us,  and  put  the  ram's  heart  in  his  bag  and 
took  it  with  him.  Do  you  remain  with  the  little  one ; 
my  mother  is  at  work,  and  I  must  go  with  the  prisoners 
of  war  to  Harmontis."* 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WHILE  the  two  friends  from  the  House  of  Seti  were 
engaged  in  conversation,  Katuti  restlessly  paced  the 
large  open  hall  of  her  son-in-law's  house,  in  which  we 
have  already  seen  her.  A  snow-white  cat  followed  her 
steps,  now  playing  with  the  hem  of  her  long  plain  dress, 
and  now  turning  to  a  large  stand  on  which  the  dwarf 
Nemu  sat  in  a  heap  ;  where  formerly  a  silver  statue  had 
stood,  which  a  few  months  previously  had  been  sold. 

He  liked  this  place,  for  it  put  him  in  a  position  to  look 
into  the  eyes  of  his  mistress  and  other  full-grown  people. 

"  If  you  have  betrayed  me!  If  you  have  deceived 
me !"  said  Katuti  with  a  threatening  gesture  as  she 
passed  his  perch. 

"  Put  me  on  a  hook  to  angle  for  a  crocodile  if  I 
have.  But  I  am  curious  to  know  how  he  will  offer  you 
the  money." 

"  You  swore  to  me,"  interrupted  his  mistress  with 
feverish  agitation,  "  that  you  had  not  used  my  name  in 
asking  Paaker  to  save  us  ?" 

"  A  thousand  times  I  swear  it,"  said  the  little  man. 

*  The  Erment  of  to-day,  the  nearest  town  to  the  south  of  Thebes,  at  a  day's 
journey  from  that  city. 


UARDA.  253 

"  Shall  I  repeat  all  our  conversation  ?  I  tell  thee  he 
will  sacrifice  his  land,  and  his  house — great  gate  and 
all,  for  one  friendly  glance  from  Nefert's  eyes." 

"  If  only  Mena  loved  her  as  he  does  !"  sighed  the 
widow,  and  then  again  she  walked  up  and  down  the 
hall  in  silence,  while  the  dwarf  looked  out  at  the  garden 
entrance.  Suddenly  she  paused  in  front  of  Nemu,  and 
said  so  hoarsely  that  Nemu  shuddered  : 

"  I  wish  she  were  a  widow." 

The  little  man  made  a  gesture  as  if  to  protect  him- 
self from  the  evil  eye,  but  at  the  same  instant  he  slipped 
down  from  his  pedestal,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  There  is  a  chariot,  and  I  hear  his  big  dog  barking. 
It  is  he.  Shall  I  call  Nefert  ?" 

"  No  !"  said  Katuti  in  a  low  voice,  and  she  clutched 
at  the  back  of  a  chair  as  if  for  support. 

The  dwarf  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  slunk  behind 
a  clump  of  ornamental  plants,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
Paaker  stood  in  the  presence  of  Katuti,  who  greeted  him 
with  quiet  dignity  and  self-possession. 

Not  a  feature  of  her  finely-cut  face  betrayed  her  in- 
ward agitation,  and  after  the  Mohar  had  greeted  her  she 
said  with  rather  patronizing  friendliness  : 

"  I  thought  that  you  would  come.  Take  a  seat. 
Your  heart  is  like  your  father's  ;  now  that  you  are  friends 
with  us  again  it  is  not  by  halves." 

Paaker  had  come  to  offer  his  aunt  the  sum  which 
was  necessary  for  the  redemption  of  her  husband's 
mummy.  He  had  doubted  for  a  long  time  whether  he 
should  not  leave  this  to  his  mother,  but  reserve  partly 
and  partly  vanity  had  kept  him  from  doing  so.  He 
liked  to  display  his  wealth,  and  Katuti  should  learn 
what  he  could  do,  what  a  son-in-law  she  had  rejected. 


254  UARDA. 

He  would  have  preferred  to  send  the  gold,  which 
he  had  resolved  to  give  away,  by  the  hand  of  one  of 
his  slaves,  like  a  tributary  prince.  But  that  could  not 
be  done;  so  he  put  on  his  finger  a  ring  set  with  a 
valuable  stone,  which  king  Seti  had  given  to  his 
father,  and  added  various  clasps  and  bracelets  to  his 
dress. 

When,  before  leaving  the  house,  he  looked  at  him- 
self in  a  mirror,  he  said  to  himself  with  some  satisfac- 
tion, that  he,  as  he  stood,  was  worth  as  much  as  the 
whole  of  Mena's  estates. 

Since  his  conversation  with  Nemu,  and  the  dwarf's 
interpretation  of  his  dream,  the  path  which  he  must 
tread  to  reach  his  aim  had  been  plain  before  him. 
Nefert's  mother  must  be  won  with  the  gold  which 
would  save  her  from  disgrace,  and  Mena  must  be  sent 
to  the  other  world.  He  relied  chiefly  on  his  own  reck- 
less obstinacy — which  he  liked  to  call  firm  determina- 
tion— Nemu's  cunning,  and  the  love-philter. 

He  now  approached  Katuti  with  the  certainty  of 
success,  like  a  merchant  who  means  to  acquire  some 
costly  object,  and  feels  that  he  is  rich  enough  to  pay 
for  it.  But  his  aunt's  proud  and  dignified  manner 
confounded  him. 

He  had  pictured  her  quite  otherwise,  spirit-broken, 
and  suppliant;  and  he  had  expected,  and  hoped  to 
earn,  Nefert's  thanks  as  well  as  her  mother's  by  his 
generosity.  Mena's  pretty  wife  was  however  absent, 
and  Katuti  did  not  send  for  her  even  after  he  had  en- 
quired after  her  health. 

The  widow  made  no  advances,  and  some  time 
passed  in  indifferent  conversation,  till  Paaker  abruptly 
informed  her  that  he  had  heard  of  her  son's  reckless 


TJARDA.  255 

conduct,  and  had  decided,  as  being  his  mother's 
nearest  relation,  to  preserve  her  from  the  degradation 
that  threatened  her.  For  the  sake  of  his  bluntness, 
which  she  took  for  honesty,  Katuti  forgave  the  magni- 
ficence of  his  dress,  which  under  the  circumstances 
certainly  seemed  ill-chosen ;  she  thanked  him  with 
dignity,  but  warmly,  more  for  the  sake  of  her  children 
than  for  her  own ;  for  life  she  said  was  opening  before 
them,  while  for  her  it  was  drawing  to  its  close. 

"  You  are  still  at  a  good  time  of  life,"  said  Paaker. 

"  Perhaps  at  the  best,"  replied  the  widow,  "  at  any 
rate  from  my  point  of  view  ;  regarding  life  as  I  do  as 
a  charge,  a  heavy  responsibility." 

"  The  administration  of  this  involved  estate  must 
give  you  many  anxious  hours — that  I  understand." 

Katuti  nodded,  and  then  said  sadly : 

"  I  could  bear  it  all,  if  I  were  not  condemned  to 
see  my  poor  child  being  brought  to  misery  without 
being  able  to  help  her  or  advise  her.  You  once  would 
willingly  have  married  her,  and  I  ask  you,  was  there 
a  maiden  in  Thebes — nay  in  all  Egypt — to  compare 
with  her  for  beauty  ?  Was  she  not  worthy  to  be 
loved,  and  is  she  not  so  still  ?  Does  she  deserve 
that  her  husband  should  leave  her  to  starve,  neglect 
her,  and  take  a  strange  woman  into  his  tent  as  if  he 
had  repudiated  her  ?  I  see  what  you  feel  about  it ! 
You  throw  all  the  blame  on  me.  Your  heart  says : 
'  Why  did  she  break  off  our  betrothal,'  and  your  right 
feeling  tells  you  that  you  would  have  given  her  a 
happier  lot." 

With  these  words  Katuti  took  her  nephew's  hand, 
and  went  on  with  increasing  warmth. 

"  We  know  you  to-day  for  the  most  magnanimous 


256  UARDA. 

man  in  Thebes,  for  you  have  requited  injustice  with 
an  immense  benefaction ;  but  even  as  a  boy  you  were 
kind  and  noble.  Your  father's  wish  has  alway  been 
dear  and  sacred  to  me,  for  during  his  lifetime  he  al- 
ways behaved  to  us  as  an  affectionate  brother,  and  I 
would  sooner  have  sown  the  seeds  of  sorrow  for  my- 
self than  for  your  mother,  my  beloved  sister.  I  brought 
up  my  child — I  guarded  her  jealously — for  the  young 
hero  who  was  absent,  proving  his  valor  in  Syria — for 
you  and  for  you  only.  Then  your  father  died,  my  sole 
stay  and  protector." 

"  I  know  it  all !"  interrupted  Paaker  looking  gloom- 
ily at  the  floor. 

"  Who  should  have  told  you  ?"  said  the  widow. 
"  For  your  mother,  when  that  had  happened  which 
seemed  incredible,  forbid  us  her  house,  and  shut  her 
ears.  The  king  himself  urged  Mena's  suit,  for  he  loves 
him  as  his  own  son,  and  when  I  represented  your 
prior  claim  he  commanded ; — and  who  may  resist  the 
commands  of  the  sovereign  of  two  worlds,  the  Son  of 
Ra  ?  Kings  have  short  memories ;  how  often  did  your 
father  hazard  his  life  for  him,  how  many  wounds  had 
he  received  in  his  service.  For  your  father's  sake  he 
might  have  spared  you  such  an  affront,  and  such 
pain." 

"  And  have  I  myself  served  him,  or  not  ?"  asked 
the  pioneer  flushing  darkly. 

"  He  knows  you  less,"  returned  Katuti  apologeti- 
cally. Then  she  changed  her  tone  to  one  of  sympathy, 
and  went  on : 

"  How  was  it  that  you,  young  as  you  were,  aroused 
his  dissatisfaction,  his  dislike,  nay  his — " 


UARDA.  257 

"  His  what  ?"  asked  the  pioneer,  trembling  with  ex- 
citement. 

"  Let  that  pass  !"  said  the  widow  soothingly.  "  The 
favor  and  disfavor  of  kings  are  as  those  of  the  Gods. 
Men  rejoice  in  the  one  or  bow  to  the  other." 

"  What  feeling  have  I  aroused  in  Rameses  besides 
dissatisfaction,  and  dislike  ?  I  insist  on  knowing  !"  said 
Paaker  with  increasing  vehemence. 

"  You  alarm  me,"  the  widow  declared.  "  And  in 
speaking  ill  of  you,  his  only  motive  was  to  raise  his 
favorite  in  Nefert's  estimation." 

"Tell  me  what  he  said!"  cried  the  pioneer;  cold 
drops  stood  on  his  brown  forehead,  and  his  glaring 
eyes  showed  the  white  eye-balls. 

Katuti  quailed  before  him,  and  drew  back,  but  he 
followed  her,  sei/ed  her  arm,  and  said  huskily : 

"  What  did  he  say  ?" 

"Paaker!"  cried  the  widow  in  pain  and  indigna- 
tion. "  Let  me  go.  It  is  better  for  you  that  I  should 
not  repeat  the  words  with  which  Rameses  sought  to 
turn  Nefert's  heart  from  you.  Let  me  go,  and  re- 
member to  whom  you  are  speaking." 

But  Paaker  gripped  her  elbow  the  tighter,  and  ur- 
gently repeated  his  question. 

"  Shame  upon  you  !"  cried  Katuti,  "  you  are  hurting 
me ;  let  me  go !  You  will  not  till  you  have  heard 
what  he  said  ?  Have  your  own  way  then,  but  the 
words  are  forced  from  me!  He  said  that  if  he  did 
not  know  your  mother  Setchem  for  an  honest  woman, 
he  never  would  have  believed  you  were  your  father's 
son — for  you  were  no  more  like  him  than  an  owl  to  an 
eagle." 


258  UARDA. 

Paaker  took  his  hand  from  Katuti's  arm.  "  And  so 
— and  so — "  he  muttered  with  pale  lips. 

"  Nefert  took  your  part,  and  I  too,  but  in  vain. 
Do  not  take  the  words  too  hardly.  Your  father  was  a 
man  without  an  equal,  and  Rameses  cannot  forget  that 
we  are  related  to  the  old  royal  house.  His  grand- 
father, his  father,  and  himself  are  usurpers,  and  there 
is  one  now  living  who  has  a  better  right  to  the  throne 
than  he  has." 

"  The  Regent  Ani !"  exclaimed  Paaker  decisively. 

Katuti  nodded,  she  went  up  to  the  pioneer  and 
said  in  a  whisper: 

"  I  put  myself  in  your  hands,  though  I  know  they 
may  be  raised  against  me.  But  you  are  my  natural 
ally,  for  that  same  act  of  Rameses  that  disgraced  and 
injured  you,  made  me  a  partner  in  the  designs  of  Ani. 
The  king  robbed  you  of  your  bride,  me  of  my  daugh- 
ter. He  filled  your  soul  with  hatred  for  your  arrogant 
rival,  and  mine  with  passionate  regret  for  the  lost  hap- 
piness of  my  child.  I  feel  the  blood  of  Hatasu  in  my 
veins,  and  my  spirit  is  high  enough  to  govern  men. 
It  was  I  who  roused  the  sleeping  ambition  of  the 
Regent — I  who  directed  his  gaze  to  the  throne  to 
which  he  was  destined  by  the  Gods.  The  ministers 
of  the  Gods,  the  priests,  are  favorably  disposed  to  us ; 
we  have — " 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  commotion  in  the  gar- 
den, and  a  breathless  slave  rushed  in  exclaiming: 

"  The  Regent  is  at  the  gate  !" 

Paaker  stood  in  stupid  perplexity,  but  he  collected 
himself  with  an  effort  and  would  have  gone,  but  Katuti 
detained  him. 

"  I  will  go  forward  to  meet  Ani,"  she  said.     ''  He 


UARDA.  259 

will  be  rejoiced  to  see  you.  for  he  esteems  you  highly 
and  was  a  friend  of  your  father's." 

As  soon  as  Katuti  had  left  the  hall,  the  dwarf 
Nemu  crept  out  of  his  hiding-place,  placed  himself  in 
front  of  Paaker,  and  asked  boldly : 

"  Well  ?  Did  I  give  thee  good  advice  yesterday, 
or  no  ?" 

But  Paaker  did  not  answer  him,  he  pushed  him 
aside  with  his  foot,  and  walked  up  and  down  in  deep 
thought. 

Katuti  met  the  Regent  half  way  down  the  garden. 
He  held  a  manuscript  roll  in  his  hand,  and  greeted 
her  from  afar  with  a  friendly  wave  of  his  hand. 

The  widow  looked  at  him  with  astonishment. 
It  seemed   to   her   that    he   had   grown   taller    and 
younger  since  the  last  time  she  had  seen  him. 

"  Hail  to  your  highness !"  she  cried,  half  in  joke 
half  reverently,  and  she  raised  her  hands  in  supplica- 
tion, as  if  he  already  wore  the  double  crown  of  Upper 
and  Lower  Egypt.  "  Have  the  nine*  Gods  met  you  ? 
have  the  Hathors  kissed  you  in  your  slumbers  ?  This 
is  a  white  day — a  lucky  day — I  read  it  in  your  face!" 

"  That  is  reading  a  cipher!"  said  Ani  gaily,  but  with 
dignity.  "  Read  this  despatch." 

Katuti  took  the  roll  from  his  hand,  read  it  through, 
and  then  returned  it. 

"The  troops  you  equipped  have  conquered  the 
allied  armies  of  the  Ethiopians,"  she  said  gravely, 


260  UARDA. 

"  and  are  bringing  their  prince  in  fetters  to  Thebes, 
with  endless  treasure,  and  ten  thousand  prisoners!  The 
Gods  be  praised !" 

"  And  above  all  things  I  thank  the  Gods  that  my 
general  Scheschenk — my  foster-brother  and  friend — is 
returning  well  and  unwounded  from  the  war.  I  think, 
Katuti,  that  the  figures  in  our  dreams  are  this  day  tak- 
ing forms  of  flesh  and  blood !" 

"  They  are  growing  to  the  stature  of  heroes !"  cried 
the  widow.  "  And  you  yourself,  my  lord,  have  been 
stirred  by  the  breath  of  the  Divinity.  You  walk  like 
the  worthy  son  of  Ra,  the  courage  of  Menth  beams  in 
your  eyes,  and  you  smile  like  the  victorious  Horns." 

"  Patience,  patience  my  friend,"  said  Ani,  moder- 
ating the  eagerness  of  the  widow ;  "  now,  more  than 
ever,  we  must  cling  to  my  principle  of  over-estimating 
the  strength  of  our  opponents,  and  underrating  our 
own.  Nothing  has  succeeded  on  which  I  had  counted, 
and  on  the  contrary  many  things  have  justified  my 
fears  that  they  would  fail.  The  beginning  of  the  end 
is  hardly  dawning  on  us." 

"  But  successes,  like  misfortunes,  never  come  singly," 
replied  Katuti. 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  said  Ani.  "  The  events  of  life 
seem  to  me  to  fall  in  groups.  Every  misfortune  brings 
its  fellow  with  it — like  every  piece  of  luck.  Can  you 
tell  me  of  a  second  success  ?" 

"  Women  win  no  battles,"  said  the  widow  smiling. 
"  But  they  win  allies,  and  I  have  gained  a  powerful 
one." 

"  A  God  or  an  army  ?"  asked  Ani. 

"  Something  between  the  two,"  she  replied.  "  Paaker, 
the  king's  chief  pioneer,  has  joined  us;"  and  she  briefly 


UARDA.  26l 

related  to  Ani  the  history  of  her  nephew's  love  and 
hatred. 

Ani  listened  in  silence ;  then  he  said  with  an  ex- 
pression of  much  disquiet  and  anxiety : 

"  This  man  is  a  follower  of  Rameses,  and  must 
shortly  return  to  him.  Many  may  guess  at  our  projects, 
but  every  additional  person  who  knows  them  may  be- 
come a  traitor.  You  are  urging  me,  forcing  me,  for- 
ward too  soon.  A  thousand  well-prepared  enemies 
are  less  dangerous  than  one  untrustworthy  ally — " 

"  Paaker  is  secured  to  us,"  replied  Katuti  positively. 

"  AVho  will  answer  for  him  ?"  asked  Ani. 

"  His  life  shall  be  in  your  hand,"  replied  Katuti 
gravely.  "  My  shrewd  little  dwarf  Nemu  knows  that 
he  has  committed  some  secret  crime,  which  the  law 
punishes  by  death." 

The  Regent's  countenance  cleared. 

"  That  alters  the  matter,"  he  said  with  satisfaction. 

"  Has  he  committed  a  murder  ?" 

"  No,"  said  Katuti,  "  but  Nemu  has  sworn  to  reveal 
to  you  alone  all  that  he  knows.  He  is  wholly  devoted 
to  us." 

"  Well  and  good,"  said  Ani  thoughtfully,  "  but  he 
too  is  imprudent — much  too  imprudent.  You  are  like 
a  rider,  who  to  win  a  wager  urges  his  horse  to  leap 
over  spears.  If  he  falls  on  the  points,  it  is  he  that 
suffers ;  you  let  him  lie  there,  and  go  on  your  way." 

"  Or  are  impaled  at  the  same  time  as  the  noble 
horse,"  said  Katuti  gravely.  "You  have  more  to  win, 
and  at  the  same  time  more  to  lose  than  we ;  but  the 
meanest  clings  to  life ;  and  I  must  tell  you,  Ani,  that  I 
work  for  you,  not  to  win  any  thing  through  your  suc- 
cess, but  because  you  are  as  dear  to  me  as  a  brother, 


262  UARDA. 

and  because  I  see  in  you  the  embodiment  of  my 
father's  claims  which  have  been  trampled  on." 

Ani  gave  her  his  hand  and  asked  : 

"  Did  you  also  as  my  friend  speak  to  Bent-Anat  ? — 
Do  I  interpret  your  silence  rightly  ?" 

Katuti  sadly  shook  her  head ;  but  Ani  went  on : 
"  Yesterday  that  would  have  decided  me  to  give  her 
up ;  but  to-day  my  courage  has  risen,  and  if  the 
Hathors  be  my  friends  I  may  yet  win  her." 

With  these  words  he  went  in  advance  of  the  widow 
into  the  hall,  where  Paaker  was  still  walking  uneasily 
up  and  down. 

The  pioneer  bowed  low  before  the  Regent,  who 
returned  the  greeting  with  a  half-haughty,  half-familiar 
wave  of  the  hand,  and  when  he  had  seated  himself  in 
an  arm-chair  politely  addressed  Paaker  as  the  son  of  a 
friend,  and  a  relation  of  his  family. 

"All  the  world,"  he  said,  "speaks  of  your  reckless 
courage.  Men  like  you  are  rare;  I  have  none  such 
attached  to  me.  I  wish  you  stood  nearer  to  me ;  but 
Rameses  will  not  part  with  you,  although — although — 
In  point  of  fact  your  office  has  two  aspects ;  it  requires 
the  daring  of  a  soldier,  and  the  dexterity  of  a  scribe. 
No  one  denies  that  you  have  the  first,  but  the  second 
• — the  sword  and  the  reed-pen  are  very  different 
weapons,  one  requires  supple  fingers,  the  other  a  sturdy 
fist.  The  king  used  to  complain  of  your  reports — is  he 
better  satisfied  with  them  now  ?" 

"  I  hope  so,"  replied  the  Mohar ;  "  my  brother  Horus 
is  a  practised  writer,  and  accompanies  me  in  my 
journeys." 

"That  is  well,"  said  Ani.  "  If  I  had  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs  I  should  treble  your  staff,  and  give  you 


UARDA.  263 

four — five — six  scribes  under  you,  who  should  be  en- 
tirely at  your  command,  and  to  whom  you  could  give 
the  materials  for  the  reports  to  be  sent  out.  Your 
office  demands  that  you  should  be  both  brave  and  cir- 
cumspect ;  these  characteristics  are  rarely  united ;  but 
there  are  scriveners  by  hundreds  in  the  temples." 

"  So  it  seems  to  me,"  said  Paaker. 

Ani  looked  down  meditatively,  and  continued — 
"  Rameses  is  fond  of  comparing  you  with  your  father. 
That  is  unfair,  for  he — who  is  now  with  the  justified — 
was  without  an  equal ;  at  once  the  bravest  of  heroes 
and  the  most  skilful  of  scribes.  You  are  judged  un- 
justly ;  and  it  grieves  me  all  the  more  that  you  belong, 
through  your  mother,  to  my  poor  but  royal  house.  We 
will  see  whether  I  cannot  succeed  in  putting  you  in  the 
right  place.  For  the  present  you  are  required  in  Syria 
almost  as  soon  as  you  have  got  home.  You  have  shown 
that  you  are  a  man  who  does  not  fear  death,  and 
who  can  render  good  service,  and  you  might  now  enjoy 
your  wealth  in  peace  with  your  wife." 

"  I  am  alone,"  said  Paaker. 

"  Then,  if  you  come  home  again,  let  Katuti  seek 
you  out  the  prettiest  wife  in  Egypt,"  said  the  Regent 
smiling.  "  She  sees  herself  every  day  in  her  mirror,  and 
must  be  a  connoisseur  in  the  charms  of  women." 

Ani  rose  with  these  words,  bowed  to  Paaker  with 
studied  friendliness,  gave  his  hand  to  Katuti,  and  said 
as  he  left  the  hall : 

"Send  me  to-day  the — the  handkerchief — by  the 
dwarf  Nemu." 

When  he  was  already  in  the  garden,  he  turned 
once  more  and  said  to  Paaker : 


264  UARUA. 

"Some  friends  are  supping  with  me  to-day;  pray 
let  me  see  you  too." 

The  pioneer  bowed ;  he  dimly  perceived  that  he 
was  entangled  in  invisible  toils.  Up  to  the  present 
moment  he  had  been  proud  of  his  devotion  to  his. 
calling,  of  his  duties  as  Mohar;  and  now  he  had  dis- 
covered that  the  king,  whose  chain  of  honor  hung 
round  his  neck,  undervalued  him,  and  perhaps  only 
suffered  him  to  fill  his  arduous  and  dangerous  post 
for  the  sake  of  his  father,  while  he,  notwithstanding 
the  temptations  offered  him  in  Thebes  by  his  wealth, 
had  accepted  it  willingly  and  disinterestedly.  He  knew 
that  his  skill  with  the  pen  was  small,  but  that  was  no 
reason  why  he  should  be  despised ;  often  had  he  wished 
that  he  could  reconstitute  his  office  exactly  as  Ani  had 
suggested,  but  his  petition  to  be  allowed  a  secretary 
had  been  rejected  by  Rameses.  What  he  spied  out, 
he  was  told  was  to  be  kept  secret,  and  no  one  could 
be  responsible  for  the  secrecy  of  another. 

As  his  brother  Horus  grew  up,  he  had  followed  him 
as  his  obedient  assistant,  even  after  he  had  married  a 
wife,  who,  with  her  child,  remained  in  Thebes  under 
the  care  of  Setchem. 

He  was  now  filling  Paaker's  place  in  Syria  during 
his  absence;  badly  enough,  ns  the  pioneer  thought,  and 
yet  not  without  credit ;  for  the  fellow  knew  how  to 
write  smooth  words  with  a  graceful  pen. 

Paaker,  accustomed  to  solitude,  became  absorbed 
in  thought,  forgetting  everything  that  surrounded  him ; 
even  the  widow  herself,  who  had  sunk  on  to  a  couch, 
and  was  observing  him  in  silence. 

He  gazed  into  vacancy,  while  a  crowd  of  sensations 
rushed  confusedly  through  his  brain.  He  thought  him- 


UARDA.  265 

self  cruelly  ill-used,  and  he  felt  too  that  it  was  in- 
cumbent on  him  to  become  the  instrument  of  a  ter- 
rible fate  to  some  other  person.  All  was  dim  and 
chaotic  in  his  mind,  his  love  merged  in  his  hatred; 
only  one  thing  was  clear  and  unclouded  by  doubt, 
and  that  was  his  strong  conviction  that  Nefert  would 
be  his. 

The  Gods  indeed  were  in  deep  disgrace  with  him. 
How  much  he  had  expended  upon  them — and  with 
what  a  grudging  hand  they  had  rewarded  him;  he 
knew  of  but  one  indemnification  for  his  wasted  life, 
and  in  that  he  believed  so  firmly  that  he  counted  on 
it  as  if  it  were  capital  which  he  had  invested  in  sound 
securities.  But  at  this  moment  his  resentful  feelings 
embittered  the  sweet  dream  of  hope,  and  he  strove  in 
vain  for  calmness  and  clear-sightedness ;  when  such 
cross-roads  as  these  met,  no  amulet,  no  divining  rod 
could  guide  him ;  here  he  must  think  for  himself,  and 
beat  his  own  road  before  he  could  walk  in  it ;  and  yet 
he  could  think  out  no  plan,  and  arrive  at  no  decision. 

He  grasped  his  burning  forehead  in  his  hands,  and 
started  from  his  brooding  reverie,  to  remember  where 
he  was,  to  recall  his  conversation  with  the  mother  of 
the  woman  he  loved,  and  her  saying  that  she  was 
capable  of  guiding  men. 

"She  perhaps  may  be  able  to  think  for  me,"  he 
muttered  to  himself.  "Action  suits  me  better." 

He  slowly  went  up  to  her  and  said : 

"So  it  is  settled  then — we  are  confederates." 

"Against  Rameses,  and  for  Ani,"  she  replied,  giving 
him  her  slender  hand. 

"  In  a  few  days  I  start  for  Syria,  meanwhile  you 
can  make  up  your  mind  what  commissions  you  have 
is 


266  UARDA. 

to  give  me.  The  money  for  your  son  shall  be  con- 
veyed to  you  to-day  before  sunset.  May  I  not  pay 
my  respects  to  Nefert?" 

"  Not  now,  she  is  praying  in  the  temple." 

"  But  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Willingly,  my  dear  friend.  She  will  be  delighted 
to  see  you,  and  to  thank  you." 

"  Farewell,  Katuti." 

"  Call  me  mother,"  said  the  widow,  and  she  waved 
her  veil  to  him  as  a  last  farewell. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

As  soon  as  Paaker  had  disappeared  behind  the 
shrubs,  Katuti  struck  a  little  sheet  of  metal,  a  slave 
appeared,  and  Katuti  asked  her  whether  Nefert  had 
returned  from  the  temple. 

"  Her  litter  is  just  now  at  the  side  gate,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  I  await  her  here,"  said  the  widow.  The  slave 
went  away,  and  a  few  minutes  later  Nefert  entered 
the  hall. 

"  You  want  me  ?"  she  said ;  and  after  kissing  her 
mother  she  sank  upon  her  couch.  "  I  am  tired,"  she 
exclaimed,  "  Nemu,  take  a  fan  and  keep  the  flies 
off  me." 

The  dwarf  sat  down  on  a  cushion  by  her  couch, 
and  began  to  wave  the  semi-circular  fan  of  ostrich- 
feathers;  but  Katuti  put  him  aside  and  said: 

"  You  can  leave  us  for  the  present ;  we  want  to 
speak  to  each  other  in  private." 

The  dwarf  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  got  up,  but 


UARDA.  267 

Nefert  looked  at  her  mother  with  an  irresistible  ap- 
peal. 

"  Let  him  stay,"  she  said,  as  pathetically  as  if  her 
whole  happiness  depended  upon  it.  "The  flies  torment 
me  so,  and  Nemu  always  holds  his  tongue." 

She  patted  the  dwarf's  big  head  as  if  he  were  a 
lap-dog,  and  called  the  white  cat,  which  with  a  grace- 
ful leap  sprang  on  to  her  shoulder  and  stood  there 
with  its  back  arched,  to  be  stroked  by  her  slender 
fingers. 

Nemu  looked  enquiringly  at  his  mistress,  but  Ka- 
tuti  turned  to  her  daughter,  and  said  in  a  warning 
voice: 

"  I  have  very  serious  things  to  discuss  with  you." 

"Indeed?"  said  her  daughter,  "but  I  cannot  be 
stung  by  the  flies  all  the  same.  Of  course,  if  you 
wish  it — " 

"  Nemu  may  stay  then,"  said  Katuti,  and  her  voice 
had  the  tone  of  that  of  a  nurse  who  gives  way  to 
a  naughty  child.  "  Besides,  he  knows  what  I  have  to 
talk  about." 

"  There  now !"  said  Nefert,  kissing  the  head  of  the 
white  cat,  and  she  gave  the  fan  back  to  the  dwarf. 

The  widow  looked  at  her  daughter  with  sincere 
compassion,  she  went  up  to  her  and  looked  for  the 
thousandth  time  in  admiration  at  her  pretty  face. 

"  Poor  child,"  she  sighed,  "  how  willingly  I  would 
spare  you  the  frightful  news  which  sooner  or  later  you 
must  hear — must  bear.  Leave  off  your  foolish  play 
with  the  cat,  I  have  things  of  the  most  hideous  gravity 
to  tell  you." 

"  Speak  on,"  replied  Nefert.  "  To-day  I  cannot  fear 
the  worst.  Mena's  star,  the  haruspex  told  me,  stands 


268  UARDA. 

under  the  sign  of  happiness,  and  I  enquired  of  the 
oracle  in  the  temple  of  Besa,  and  heard  that  my  hus- 
band is  prospering.  I  have  prayed  in  the  temple  till 
I  am  quite  content.  Only  speak ! — I  know  my  brother's 
letter  from  the  camp  had  no  good  news  in  it;  the 
evening  before  last  I  saw  you  had  been  crying,  and 
yesterday  you  did  not  look  well;  even  the  pome- 
granate flowers  in  your  hair  did  not  suit  you." 

"  Your  brother,"  sighed  Katuti,  "  has  occasioned  me 
great  trouble,  and  we  might  through  him  have  suffered 
deep  dishonor — " 

"We — dishonor?"  exclaimed  Nefert,  and  she 
nervously  clutched  at  the  cat. 

"  Your  brother  lost  enormous  sums  at  play ;  to 
recover  them  he  pledged  the  mummy  of  your  father — " 

"  Horrible !"  cried  Nefert.  "  We  must  appeal  at 
once  to  the  king ; — I  will  write  to  him  myself;  for  Mena's 
sake  he  will  hear  me.  Rameses  is  great  and  noble, 
and  will  not  let  a  house  that  is  faithfully  devoted  to 
him  fall  into  disgrace  through  the  reckless  folly  of  a 
boy.  Certainly  I  will  write  to  him." 

She  said  this  in  a  voice  of  most  childlike  con- 
fidence, and  desired  Nemu  to  wave  the  fan  more 
gently,  as  if  this  concern  were  settled. 

In  Katuti's  heart  surprise  and  indignation  at  the 
unnatural  indifference  of  her  daughter  were  struggling 
together;  but  she  withheld  all  blame,  and  said  care- 
lessly : 

"  We  are  already  released,  for  my  nephew  Paaker, 
as  soon  as  he  heard  what  threatened  us,  offered  me 
his  help;  freely  and  unprompted,  from  pure  goodness 
of  heart  and  attachment." 

'  How  good  of  Paaker!"  cried  Nefert.    '-  He  was  so 


UARDA.  269 

fond  of  me,  and  you  know,  mother,  I  always  stood  up 
for  him.  No  doubt  it  was  for  my  sake  that  he  be- 
haved so  generously !" 

The  young  wife  laughed,  and  pulling  the  cat's  face 
close  to  her  own,  held  her  nose  to  its  cool  little  nose, 
stared  into  its  green  eyes,  and  said,  imitating  childish 
talk: 

"  There  now,  pussy — how  kind  people  are  to  your 
little  mistress." 

Katuti  was  vexed  at  this  fresh  outburst  of  her 
daughter's  childish  impulses. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  she  said,  "  that  you  might  leave 
off  playing  and  trifling  when  I  am  talking  of  such 
serious  matters.  I  have  long  since  observed  that  the 
fate  of  the  house  to  which  your  father  and  mother  be- 
long is  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference  to  you;  and  yet 
you  would  have  to  seek  shelter. and  protection  under 
its  roof  if  your  husband — " 

"  Well,  mother  ?"  asked  Nefert  raising  herself,  and 
breathing  more  quickly. 

As  soon  as  Katuti  perceived  her  daughter's  agitation 
she  regretted  that  she  had  not  more  gently  led  up  to 
the  news  she  had  to  break  to  her;  for  she  loved  her 
daughter,  and  knew  that  it  would  give  her  keen  pain. 

So  she  went  on  more  sympathetically — 

"  You  boasted   in  joke  that   people   are   good   to 

YOU,  and  it  is  true;  you  win  hearts  by  your  mere  being 

-by  only  being  what  you  are.     And  Mena  too  loved 

you  tenderly ;  but  '  absence,'  says  the  proverb,  '  is  the 

one  real  enemy,'  and  Mena — " 

"  What  has  Mena  done  ?"  Once  more  Nefert  inter- 
rupted her  mother,  and  her  nostrils  quivered. 

"  Mena,"  said  Katuti,  decidedly,  "  has  violated  the 


270  UARDA. 

truth  and  esteem  which  he  owes  you — he  has  trodden 
them  under  foot,  and — " 

"  Mena  ?"  exclaimed  the  young  wife  with  flashing 
eyes ;  she  flung  the  cat  on  the  floor,  and  sprang  from 
her  couch. 

"  Yes — Mena,"  said  Katuti  firmly.  "  Your  brother 
writes  that  he  would  have  neither  silver  nor  gold  for 
his  spoil,  but  took  the  fair  daughter  of  the  prince  of 
the  Danaids  into  his  tent.  The  ignoble  wretch  !" 

"  Ignoble  Avretch !"  cried  Nefert,  and  two  or  three 
times  she  repeated  her  mother's  last  words.  Katuti 
drew  back  in  horror,  for  her  gentle,  docile,  childlike 
daughter  stood  before  her  absolutely  transfigured  beyond 
all  recognition. 

She  looked  like  a  beautiful  demon  of  revenge;  her 
eyes  sparkled,  her  breath  came  quickly,  her  limbs 
quivered,  and  with  extraordinary  strength  and  rapidity 
she  seized  the  dwarf  by  the  hand,  led  him  to  the  door 
of  one  of  the  rooms  which  opened  out  of  the  hall,  threw 
it  open,  pushed  the  little  man  over  the  threshold,  and 
closed  it  sharply  upon  him ;  then  with  white  lips  she 
came  up  to  her  mother. 

"An  ignoble  wretch  did  you  call  him?"  she  cried 
out  with  a  hoarse  husky  voice,  "  an  ignoble  wretch ! 
Take  back  your  words,  mother,  take  back  your  words, 
or—" 

Katuti  turned  paler  and  paler,  and  said  sooth- 
ingly : 

"  The  words  may  sound  hard,  but  he  has  broken 
faith  with  you,  and  openly  dishonored  you." 

"  And  shall  I  believe  it  ?"  said  Nefert  with  a  scorn- 
ful laugh.  "  Shall  I  believe  it,  because  a  scoundrel  has 
written  it,  who  has  pawned  his  father's  body  and  the 


UARDA.  271 

honor  of  his  family;  because  it  is  told  you  by  that 
noble  and  brave  gentleman !  why  a  box  on  the  ears 
from  Mena  would  be  the  death  of  him.  Look  at  me, 
mother,  here  are  my  eyes,  and  if  that  table  there  were 
Mena's  tent,  and  you  were  Mena,  and  you  took  the 
fairest  woman  living  by  the  hand  and  led  her  into  it, 
and  these  eyes  saw  it — aye,  over  and  over  again — I 
would  laugh  at  it — as  I  laugh  at  it  now;  and  I  should 
say,  '  Who  knows  what  he  may  have  to  give  her,  or  to 
say  to  her,'  and  not  for  one  instant  would  I  doubt  his 
truth ;  for  your  son  is  false  and  Mena  is  true.  Osiris 
broke  faith  with  Isis* — but  Mena  may  be  favored 
by  a  hundred  women — he  will  take  none  to  his  tent 
but  me !" 

"  Keep  your  belief,"  said  Katuti  bitterly,  "  but  leave 
me  mine." 

"  Yours  ?"  said  Nefert,  and  her  flushed  cheeks  turned 
pale  again.  "  What  do  you  believe  ?  You  listen  to  the 
worst  and  basest  things  that  can  be  said  of  a  man  who 
has  overloaded  you  with  benefits  !  A  wretch,  bah  !  an 
ignoble  wretch  ?  Is  that  what  you  call  a  man  who  lets 
you  dispose  of  his  estate  as  you  please !" 

"  Nefert,"  cried  Katuti  angrily,  "  I  will — " 

"  Do  what  you  will,"  interrupted  her  indignant 
daughter,  "  but  do  not  vilify  the  generous  man  who 
has  never  hindered  you  from  throwing  away  his  property 
on  your  son's  debts  and  your  own  ambition.  Since  the 
day  before  yesterday  I  have  learned  that  we  are  not 
rich;  and  I  have  reflected,  and  I  have  asked  myself 
what  has  become  of  our  corn  and  our  cattle,  of  our 
sheep  and  the  rents  from  the  farmers.  The  wretch's 
estate  was  not  so  contemptible ;  but  I  tell  you  plainly  1 

*  See  Plutarch,  Isis  and  Osiris. 


272  UARDA. 

should  be  unworthy  to  be  the  wife  of  the  noble  Mena 
if  I  allowed  any  one  to  vilify  his  name  under  his  own 
roof.  Hold  to  your  belief,  by  all  means,  but  one  of  us 
must  quit  this  house — you  or  I." 

At  these  words  Nefert  broke  into  passionate  sobs, 
threw  herself  on  her  knees  by  her  couch,  hid  her  face 
in  the  cushions,  and  wept  convulsively  and  without  in- 
termission. 

Katuti  stood  behind  her,  startled,  trembling,  and 
not  knowing  what  to  say.  Was  this  her  gentle,  dreamy 
daughter  ?  Had  ever  a  daughter  dared  to  speak  thus 
to  her  mother  ?  But  was  she  right  or  was  Nefert  ?  This 
question  was  the  pressing  one;  she  knelt  down  by  the 
side  of  the  young  wife,  put  her  arm  round  her,  drew 
her  head  against  her  bosom,  and  whispered  pitifully : 

"  You  cruel,  hard-hearted  child ;  forgive  your  poor, 
miserable  mother,  and  do  not  make  the  measure  of  her 
wretchedness  overflow." 

Then  Nefert  rose,  kissed  her  mother's  hand,  and 
went  silently  into  her  own  room. 

Katuti  remained  alone ;  she  felt  as  if  a  dead  hand 
held  her  heart  in  its  icy  grasp,  and  she  muttered  to 
herself — 

"  Ani  is  right — nothing  turns  to  good  excepting  that 
from  which  we  expect  the  worst." 

She  held  her  hand  to  her  head,  as  if  she  had  heard 
something  too  strange  to  be  believed.  Her  heart  went 
after  her  daughter,  but  instead  of  sympathizing  with  her 
she  collected  all  her  courage,  and  deliberately  recalled 
all  the  reproaches  that  Nefert  had  heaped  upon  her. 
She  did  not  spare  herself  a  single  word,  and  finally  she 
murmured  to  herself:  "She  can  spoil  every  thing.  For 
Mena's  sake  she  will  sacrifice  me  and  the  whole  world; 


UARDA.  273 

Mena  and  Rameses  are  one,  and  if  she  discovers  what 
we  are  plotting  she  will  betray  us  without  a  moment's 
hesitation.  Hitherto  all  has  gone  on  without  her  see- 
ing it,  but  to-day  something  has  been  unsealed  in  her 
• — an  eye,  a  tongue,  an  ear,  which  have  hitherto  been 
closed.  She  is  like  a  deaf  and  dumb  person,  who  by 
a  sudden  fright  is  restored  to  speech  and  hearing.  My 
favorite  child  will  become  the  spy  of  my  actions,  and 
my  judge." 

She  gave  no  utterance  to  the  last  words,  but  she 
seemed  to  hear  them  with  her  inmost  ear;  the  voice 
that  could  speak  to  her  thus,  startled  and  frightened 
her,  and  solitude  was  in  itself  a  torture;  she  called  the 
dwarf,  and  desired  him  to  have  her  litter  prepared,  as 
she  intended  going  to  the  temple,  and  visiting  the 
wounded  who  had  been  sent  home  from  Syria. 

"And  the  handkerchief  for  the  Regent?"  asked  the 
little  man. 

"it  was  a  pretext,"  said  Katuti.  "He  wishes  to 
speak  to  you  about  the  matter  which  you  know  of  with 
regard  to  Paaker.  What  is  it?" 

"  Do  not  ask,"  replied  Nemu,  "  I  ought  not  to  betray 
it.  By  Besa,  who  protects  us  dwarfs,*  it  is  better  that 
thou  shouldst  never  know  it." 

"For  to-day  I  have  learned  enough  that  is  new  to 
me,"  retorted  Katuti.  "  Now  go  to  Ani,  and  if  you  are 
able  to  throw  Paaker  entirely  into  his  power — good — I 
will  give — but  what  have  I  to  give  away?  I  will  be 
grateful  to  you;  and  when  we  have  gained  our  end  I 
will  set  you  free  and  make  you  rich." 

Nemu  kissed  her  robe,  and  said  in  a  low  voice: 
"What  is  the  end?" 

*  Perhaps  on  iccaunt  of  his  dwarfish  figure. 


274  UARDA. 

"You  know  what  Ani  is  striving  for,"  answered  the 
widow.  "And  I  have  but  one  wish!" 

"And  that  is?" 

"To  see  Paaker  in  Mena's  place." 

"Then  our  wishes  are  the  same,"  said  the  dwarf 
and  he  left  the  Hall. 

Katuti  looked  after  him  and  muttered : 

"  It  must  be  so.  For  if  every  thing  remains  as  it  was 
and  Mena  comes  home  and  demands  a  reckoning — it 
is  not  to  be  thought  of !  It  must  not  be!" 


CHAPTER   XX. 

As  Nemu,  on  his  way  back  from  his  visit  to  Ani, 
approached  his  mistress's  house,  he  was  detained  by  a 
boy,  who  desired  him  to  follow  him  to  the  stranger's 
quarter.  Seeing  him  hesitate,  the  messenger  showed 
him  the  ring  of  his  mother  Hekt,  who  had  come  into 
the  town  on  business,  and  wanted  to  speak  with  him. 

Nemu  was  tired,  for  he  was  not  accustomed  to  walk- 
ing; his  ass  was  dead,  and  Katuti  could  not  afford  to 
give  him  another.  Half  of  Mena's  beasts  had  been 
sold,  and  the  remainder  barely  sufficed  for  the  field- 
labor. 

At  the  corners  of  the  busiest  streets,  and  on  the 
market-places,  stood  boys  with  asses  which  they  hired 
out  for  a  small  sum;*  but  Nemu  had  parted  with  his 
last  money  for  a  garment  and  a  new  wig,  so  that  he 

*  In  the  streets  of  modern  Egyptian  towns  asses  stand  saddled  for  hire. 
On  the  monuments  only  foreigners  are  represented  as  riding  on  asses,  but 
these  beasts  are  mentioned  in  almost  every  list  of  the  possessions  of  the  nobles, 
even  in  very  early  rimes,  and  the  number  is  often  considerable.  There  is  a 
picture  extant  of  a  rich  old  man  who  rides  on  a  seat  supported  on  the  backs  of 
two  donkeys.  Lepsius,  Denkmaler,  part  n.  126. 


UARDA.  275 

might  appear  worthily  attired  before  the  Regent.  In 
former  times  his  pocket  had  never  been  empty,  for 
Mena  had  thrown  him  many  a  ring  of  silver,  or  even  of 
gold,  but  his  restless  and  ambitious  spirit  wasted  no 
regrets  on  lost  luxuries.  He  remembered  those  years 
of  superfluity  with  contempt,  and  as  he  puffed  and 
panted  on  his  way  through  the  dust,  he  felt  himself 
swell  with  satisfaction. 

The  Regent  had  admitted  him  to  a  private  inter- 
view, and  the  little  man  had  soon  succeeded  in  rivet- 
ing his  attention;  Ani  had  laughed  till  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks  at  Nemu's  description  of  Paaker's  wild 
passion,  and  he  had  proved  himself  in  earnest  over  the 
dwarf's  further  communications,  and  had  met  his  de- 
mands half-way.  Nemu  felt  like  a  duck  hatched  on 
dry  land,  and  put  for  the  first  time  into  water;  like  a 
bird  hatched  in  a  cage,  and  that  for  the  first  time  is 
allowed  to  spread  its  wings  and  fly.  He  would  have 
swum  or  have  flown  willingly  to  death  if  circumstances 
had  not  set  a  limit  to  his  zeal  and  energy. 

Bathed  in  sweat  and  coated  with  dust,  he  at  last 
reached  the  gay  tent  in  the  stranger's  quarter,*  where 
the  sorceress  Hekt  was  accustomed  to  alight  when  she 
came  over  to  Thebes. 

He  was  considering  far-reaching  projects,  dreaming 
of  possibilities,  devising  subtle  plans — rejecting  them 
as  too  subtle,  and  supplying  their  place  with  others 
more  feasible  and  less  dangerous;  altogether  the  little 
diplomatist  had  no  mind  for  the  motley  tribes  which 
here  surrounded  him.  He  had  passed  the  temple  in 

*  Herodotus  mentions  the  Tyrian  quarter  of  Memphis,  which  lay  south- 
wards from  the  temple  of  Ptah,  and  in  which  ^Eivff  sltpyodirr/,  i.  e.  the 
foreign  Aphrodite,  was  worshipped.  Brugsch  has  identified  it  with  the  quarter 
of  the  city  called  the  "  world  of  life." 


276  UARDA. 

which  the  people  of  Kaft  adored  their  goddess  Astarte,* 
and  the  sanctuary  of  Seth,  where  they  sacrificed  to 
Baal,**  without  letting  himself  be  disturbed  by  the 
dancing  devotees  or  the  noise  of  cymbals  and  music 
which  issued  from  their  enclosures.  The  tents  and 
slightly-built  wooden  houses  of  the  dancing  girls  did 
not  tempt  him.  Besides  their  inhabitants,  who  in 
the  evening  tricked  themselves  out  in  tinsel  finery  to 
lure  the  youth  of  Thebes  into  extravagance  and  folly, 
and  spent  their  days  in  sleeping  till  sun-down,  only  the 
gambling  booths  drove  a  brisk  business;  and  the  guard 
of  police  had  much  trouble  to  restrain  the  soldier,  who 
had  staked  and  lost  all  his  prize  money,  or  the  sailor, 
who  thought  himself  cheated,  from  such  outbreaks  of 
rage  and  despair  as  must  end  in  bloodshed.  Drunken 
men  lay  in  front  of  the  taverns,  and  others  were  ooing 
their  utmost,  by  repeatedly  draining  their  beaker,  to 
follow  their  example. 

Nothing  was  yet  to  be  seen  of  the  various  musicians, 
jugglers,  fire-eaters,  serpent-charmers,  and  conjurers, 
who  in  the  evening  displayed  their  skill  in  this  part  of 
the  town,  which  at  all  times  had  the  aspect  of  a  never- 


*  Astarte,  the  great  goddess  of  the  Phoenicians,  frequently  appears  on  the 
monuments  as  Sechet.  At  Edfu  she  is  represented  with  the  lioness-head,  and 
drives  a  chariot  drawn  by  horses.  Her  name  frequently  occurs  in  papyri  of 
the  time  of  our  story  with  that  of  Rameses  II.,  as  well  as  of  a  favorite  horse 
and  dog  of  the  king's. 

**  According  to  the  papyrus  Sallier  I.,  the  Hyksos-king  Apepi-Apophis 
"chose  Seth  for  his  lord,  and  worshipped  no  other  god  in  Egypt."  In  later 
times  the  Semitic  god  Baal  was  called  Seth  by  the  Egyptians  themselves,  r.s 
we  learn  from  the  treaty  of  peace  of  Rameses  II.  with  the  Cheta,  found  at 
Karnak,  in  which  on  one  side  the  Seth  of  the  Cheta  (a  different  god),  and 
Astarte  are  invoked,  and  on  the  other  the  Egyptian  gods.  The  form  "  Sutech  " 
occurs  with  "  Seth. 

Seth-Typhon  is  discussed  in  "  Etudes  Egyptologiques  "  by  Piestel,  "Voyage 
d'un  Egyptien"  by  Chabas,  ".^Egypten  und  die  Biicher  Moses"  by  Ebers,  and 
lately  by  E.  Meyer,  in  his  "Dissertation  u'ber  Seth."  The  Phoenician  religion 
is  exhaustively  treated  by  Movers. 


UARDA.  277 

ceasing  fair.  But  these  delights,  which  Nemu  had  passed 
a  thousand  times,  had  never  had  any  temptation  for 
him.  Women  and  gambling  were  not  to  his  taste;  that 
which  could  be  had  simply  for  the  taking,  without 
trouble  or  exertion,  offered  no  charms  to  his  fancy;  he 
had  no  fear  of  the  ridicule  of  the  dancing-women,  and 
their  associates — indeed,  he  occasionally  sought  them, 
for  he  enjoyed  a  war  of  words,  and  he  was  of  opinion 
that  no  one  in  Thebes  could  beat  him  at  having  the 
last  word.  Other  people,  indeed,  shared  this  opinion, 
and  not  long  before  Paaker's  steward  had  said  of 
Nemu : 

"  Our  tongues  are  cudgels,  but  the  little  one's  is  a 
dagger." 

The  destination  of  the  d\varf  was  a  very  large  and 
gaudy  tent,  not  in  any  way  distinguished  from  a  dozen 
others  in  its  neighborhood.  The  opening  which  led 
into  it  was  wide,  but  at  present  closed  by  a  hanging  of 
coarse  stuff. 

Nemu  squeezed  himself  in  between  the  edge  of  the 
tent  and  the  yielding  door,  and  found  himself  in  an  al- 
most circular  tent  with  many  angles,  and  with  its 
cone-shaped  roof  supported  on  a  pole  by  way  of  a 
pillar. 

Pieces  of  shabby  carpet  lay  on  the  dusty  soil  that 
was  the  floor  of  the  tent,  and  on  these  squatted  some 
gaily-clad  girls,  whom  an  old  woman  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  dressing.  She  painted  the  finger  and  toe- 
nails  of  the  fair  ones  with  orange-colored  Hennah, 
blackened  their  brows  and  eye-lashes  with  Mestem*  to 
give  brilliancy  to  their  glance,  painted  their  cheeks  with 
white  and  red,  and  anointed  their  hair  with  scented  oil. 

*  Antimony. 


278  UARDA. 

It  was  very  hot  in  the  tent,  and  not  one  of  the  girls 
spoke  a  word;  they  sat  perfectly  still  before  the  old 
woman,  and  did  not  stir  a  finger,  excepting  now  and 
then  to  take  up  one  of  the  porous  clay  pitchers,  which 
stood  on  the  ground,  for  a  draught  of  water,  or  to  put  a 
pill  of  Kyphi  between  their  painted  lips. 

Various  musical  instruments  leaned  against  the  walls 
of  the  tent,  hand-drums,  pipes  and  lutes  and  four  tam- 
bourines lay  on  the  ground ;  on  the  vellum  of  one  slept 
a  cat,  whose  graceful  kittens  played  with  the  bells  in 
the  hoop  of  another. 

An  old  negro-woman  went  in  and  out  of  the  little 
back-door  of  the  tent,  pursued  by  flies  and  gnats, 
while  she  cleared  away  a  variety  of  earthen  dishes  with 
the  remains  of  food — pomegranate-peelings,  bread- 
crumbs, and  garlic-tops — which  had  been  lying  on  one 
of  the  carpets  for  some  hours  since  the  girls  had  finished 
their  dinner. 

Old  Hekt  sat  apart  from  the  girls  on  a  painted 
trunk,  and  she  was  saying,  as  she  took  a  parcel  from  her 
wallet : 

"  Here,  take  this  incense,  and  burn  six  seeds  of  it, 
and  the  vermin  will  all  disappear — "  she  pointed  to  the 
flies  that  swarmed  round  the  platter  in  her  hand.  "  If 
you  like  I  will  drive  away  the  mice  too  and  draw  the 
snakes  out  of  their  holes  better  than  the  priests."* 

"  Keep  your  magic  to  yourself,"  said  a  girl  in  a  husky 
voice.  "  Since  you  muttered  your  words  over  me,  and 
gave  me  that  drink  to  make  me  grow  slight  and  lissom 
again,  I  have  been  shaken  to  pieces  with  a  cough  at 
night,  and  turn  faint  when  I  am  dancing." 

*  Recipes  for  exterminating  noxious  creatures  are  found  in  the  papyrus 
in  my  possession. 


UARDA.  279 

"  But  look  how  slender  you  have  grown,"  answered 
Hekt,  "  and  your  cough  will  soon  be  well." 

"  When  I  am  dead,"  whispered  the  girl  to  the  old 
woman.  "  I  know  that — most  of  us  end  so." 

The  witch  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  perceiving 
the  dwarf  she  rose  from  her  seat. 

The  girls  too  noticed  the  little  man,  and  set  up  the 
indescribable  cry,  something  like  the  cackle  of  hens, 
which  is  peculiar  to  Eastern  women  when  something 
tickles  their  fancy.  Nemu  was  well  known  to  them, 
for  his  mother  always  stayed  in  their  tent  whenever 
she  came  to  Thebes,  and  the  gayest  of  them  cried 
out: 

"  You  are  grown,  little  man,  since  the  last  time  you 
were  here." 

"  So  are  you,"  said  the  dwarf  sharply ;  "  but  only  as 
far  as  big  words  are  concerned." 

"  And  you  are  as  wicked  as  you  are  small,"  retorted 
the  girl. 

"  Then  my  wickedness  is  small  too,"  said  the  dwarf 
laughing,  "  for  I  am  little  enough  !  Good  morning,  girls 
— may  Besa  help  your  beauty.  Good  day,  mother — 
you  sent  for  me  ?" 

The  old  woman  nodded ;  the  dwarf  perched  himself 
on  the  chest  beside  her,  and  they  began  to  whisper  to- 
gether. 

"  How  dusty  and  tired  you  are,"  said  Hekt.  "  I 
do  believe  you  have  come  on  foot  in  the  burning 
sun." 

"  My  ass  is  dead,"  replied  Nemu,  "  and  I  have  no 
money  to  hire  a  steed." 

"  A   foretaste   of    future   splendor,"    said   the    old 


280  UARDA. 

woman  with  a  sneer.  "  What  have  you  succeeded  In 
doing  ?" 

"  Paaker  has  saved  us,"  replied  Nemu,  "  and  I  have 
just  come  from  a  long  interview  with  the  Regent." 

"  Well  ?" 

"  He  will  renew  your  letter  of  freedom,  if  you  will 
put  Paaker  into  his  power." 

"  Good — good.  I  wish  he  would  make  up  his  mind 
to  come  and  seek  me — in  disguise,  of  course.  I 
would — " 

"  He  is  very  timid,  and  it  would  not  be  wise  to 
suggest  to  him  anything  so  unpracticable." 

"  Hm — "  said  Hekt,  "  perhaps  you  are  right,  for 
when  we  have  to  demand  a  good  deal  it  is  best  only 
to  ask  for  what  is  feasible.  One  rash  request  often 
altogether  spoils  the  patron's  inclination  for  granting 
favors." 

"  What  else  has  occurred  ?" 

"  The  Regent's  army  has  conquered  the  Ethiopians, 
and  is  coming  home  with  rich  spoils." 

"  People  may  be  bought  with  treasure,"  muttered 
the  old  woman,  "  good — good !" 

"  Paaker's  sword  is  sharpened ;  I  would  give  no 
more  for  my  master's  life,  than  I  have  in  my  pocket — 
and  you  know  why  I  came  on  foot  through  the  dust." 

"  Well,  you  can  ride  home  again,"  replied  his  mother, 
giving  the  little  man  a  small  silver  ring.  "  Has  the 
pioneer  seen  Nefert  again  ?" 

"  Strange  things  have  happened,"  said  the  dwarf, 
and  he  told  his  mother  what  had  taken  place  between 
Katuti  and  Nefert.  Nemu  was  a  good  listener,  and 
had  not  forgotten  a  word  of  what  he  had  heard. 


UARDA.  281 

The  old  woman  listened  to  his  story  with  the  most 
eager  attention. 

"Well,  well,"  she  muttered,  "here  is  another  extra- 
ordinary thing.  What  is  common  to  all  men  is  gener- 
ally disgustingly  similar  in  the  palace  and  in  the  hovel. 
Mothers  are  everywhere  she-apes,  who  with  pleasure 
let  themselves  be  tormented  to  death  by  their  children, 
who  repay  them  badly  enough,  and  the  wives  gener- 
ally open  their  ears  wide  if  any  one  can  tell  them 
of  some  misbehavior  of  their  husbands!  But  that  is  not 
the  way  with  your  mistress." 

The  old  woman  looked  thoughtful,  and  then  she  con- 
tinued: 

"  In  point  of  fact  this  can  be  easily  explained,  and 
is  not  at  all  more  extraordinary  than  it  is  that  those 
tired  girls  should  sit  yawning.  You  told  me  once  that 
it  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the  mother  and  daughter 
side  by  side  in  their  chariot  when  they  go  to  a  festival 
or  the  Panegyrai;*  Katuti,  you  said,  took  care  that  the 
colors  of  their  dresses  and  the  flowers  in  their  hair 
should  harmonize.  For  which  of  them  is  the  dress 
first  chosen  on  such  occasions?" 

"Always  for  the  lady  Katuti,  who  never  wears  any 
but  certain  colors,"  replied  Nemu  quickly. 

"You  see,"  said  the  witch  laughing,  "indeed  it 
must  be  so.  That  mother  always  thinks  of  herself  first, 
and  of  the  objects  she  wishes  to  gain;  but  they  hang 
high,  and  she  treads  down  everything  that  is  in  her 
way — even  her  own  child — to  reach  them.  She  will 
contrive  that  Paaker  shall  be  the  ruin  of  Mena,  as  sure 
as  I  have  ears  to  hear  with,  for  that  woman  is  capable 
of  playing  any  tricks  with  her  daughter,  and  would 

*  Festal  assemblies  with  fairs. 


282  UARDA. 

marry  her  to  that  lame  dog  yonder  if  it  would  advance 
her  ambitious  schemes." 

"  But  Nefert !"  said  Nemu.  "  You  should  have  seen 
her.  The  dove  became  a  lioness." 

"  Because  she  loves  Mena  as  much  as  her  mother 
loves  herself,"  answered  Hekt.  "As  the  poets  say,  'she 
is  full  of  him.'  It  is  really  true  of  her,  there  is  no 
room  for  any  thing  else.  She  cares  for  one  only,  and 
woe  to  those  who  come  between  him  and  her!" 

"  I  have  seen  other  women  in  love,"  said  Nemu, 
«  but—" 

"  But,"  exclaimed  the  old  witch  with  such  a  sharp 
laugh  that  the  girls  all  looked  up,  "  they  behaved  dif- 
ferently to  Nefert — I  believe  you,  for  there  is  not  one 
in  a  thousand  that  loves  as  she  does.  It  is  a  sickness  that 
gives  raging  pain — like  a  poisoned  arrow  in  an  open 
wound,  and  devours  all  that  is  near  it  like  a  fire-brand, 
and  is  harder  to  cure  than  the  disease  which  is  killing 
that  coughing  wench.  To  be  possessed  by  that  demon 
of  anguish  is  to  suffer  the  torture  of  the  damned — or 
else,"  and  her  voice  sank  to  softness,  "  to  be  more  blest 
than  the  Gods,  happy  as  they  are.  I  know — I  know 
it  all ;  for  I  was  once  one  of  the  possessed,  one  of  a 
thousand,  and  even  now — " 

"  Well  ?"  asked  the  dwarf. 

"  Folly !"  muttered  the  witch,  stretching  herself  as 
if  awaking  from  sleep.  "  Madness!  He — is  long  since 
dead,  and  if  he  were  not  it  would  be  all  the  same  to 
me.  All  men  are  alike,  and  Mena  will  be  like  the 
rest." 

"  But  Paaker  surely  is  governed  by  the  demon  you 
describe  ?"  asked  the  dwarf. 

"  May  be,"  replied  his  mother;  "but  he  is  self-willed 


UARDA.  283 

to  madness.  He  would  simply  give  his  life  for  the 
thing  because  it  is  denied  him.  If  your  mistress  Nefert 
were  his,  perhaps  he  might  be  easier;  but  what  is  the 
use  of  chattering  ?  I  must  go  over  to  the  gold  tent, 
where  everyone  goes  now  who  has  any  money  in  their 
purse,  to  speak  to  the  mistress — " 

"  What  do  you  want  with  her  ?"  interrupted  Nemu. 

"  Little  Uarda  over  there,"  said  the  old  woman. 
"  will  soon  be  quite  well  again.  You  have  seen  her 
lately ;  is  she  not  grown  beautiful,  wonderfully  beauti- 
ful ?  Now  I  shall  see  what  the  good  woman  will  offer 
me  if  I  take  Uarda  to  her  ?  the  girl  is  as  light-footed 
as  a  gazelle,  and  with  good  training  would  learn  to 
dance  in  a  very  few  weeks." 

Nemu  turned  perfectly  white. 

"  That  you  shall  not  do,"  said  he  positively. 

"  And  why  not  ?"  asked  the  old  woman,  "if  it  pays 
well." 

"Because  I  forbid  it,"  said  the  dwarf  in  a  choked 
voice. 

"  Bless  me,"  laughed  the  woman;  "  you  want  to  play 
my  lady  Nefert,  and  expect  me  to  take  the  part  of 
her  mother  Katuti.  But,  seriously,  having  seen  the 
child  again,  have  you  any  fancy  for  her  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Nemu.  "If  we  gain  our  end,  Katuti 
will  make  me  free,  and  make  me  rich.  Then  I  will 
buy  Pinem's  grandchild,  and  take  her  for  my  v/ife.  I 
will  build  a  house  near  the  hall  of  justice,  and  give 
the  complainants  and  defendants  private  advice,  like 
the  hunch-back  Sent,  who  now  drives  through  the 
streets  in  his  own  chariot." 

"  Hm — "  said  his  mother,  "  that  might  have  done 
very  well,  but  perhaps  it  is  too  late.  When  the  child 


284  UARDA. 

had  fever  she  talked  about  the  young  priest  who  was 
sent  from  the  House  of  Seti  by  Ameni.  He  is  a  fine 
tall  fellow,  and  took  a  great  interest  in  her;  he  is  a 
gardener's  son,  named  Pentaur." 

"  Pentaur  ?"  said  the  dwarf.  "  Pentaur  ?  He  has  the 
haughty  air  and  the  expression  of  the  old  Mohar,  and 
would  be  sure  to  rise;  but  they  are  going  to  break  his 
proud  neck  for  him." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  said  the  old  woman.  "  Uarda 
would  be  just  the  wife  for  you,  she  is  good  and  steady, 
and  no  one  knows — " 

"  What  ?"  said  Nemu. 

"  Who  her  mother  was — for  she  was  not  one  of  us. 
She  came  here  from  foreign  parts,  and  when  she  died 
she  left  a  trinket  with  strange  letters  on  it.  We  must 
show  it  to  one  of  the  prisoners  of  war,  after  you  have 
got  her  safe ;  perhaps  they  could  make  out  the  queer 
inscription.  She  comes  of  a  good  stock,  that  I  am 
certain;  for  Uarda  is  the  very  living  image  of  her 
mother,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  born,  she  looked  like 
the  child  of  a  great  man.  You  smile,  you  idiot !  Why 
thousands  of  infants  have  been  in  my  hands,  and  if 
one  was  brought  to  me  wrapped  in  rags  I  could  tell  if 
its  parents  were  noble  or  base-born.  The  shape  of  the 
foot  shows  it — and  other  marks.  Uarda  may  stay  where 
she  is,  and  I  will  help  you.  If  anything  new  occurs  let 
me  know." 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

WHEN  Nemu,  riding  on  an  ass  this  time,  reached 
home,  he  found  neither  his  mistress  nor  Nefert  within. 


UARDA.  285 

The  former  was  gone,  first  to  the  temple,  and  then 
into  the  town ;  Nefert,  obeying  an  irresistible  impulse, 
had  gone  to  her  royal  friend  Bent-Anat. 

The  king's  palace  was  more  like  a  little  town 
than  a  house.*  The  wing  in  which  the  Regent  resided, 
and  which  we  have  already  visited,  lay  away  from  the 
river;  while  the  part  of  the  building  which  was  used 
by  the  royal  family  commanded  the  Nile. 

It  offered  a  splendid,  and  at  the  same  time  a  pleasing 
prospect  to  the  ships  which  sailed  by  at  its  foot,  for  it 
stood,  not  a  huge  and  solitary  mass  in  the  midst  of 
the  surrounding  gardens,  but  in  picturesque  groups  of 
various  outline.  On  each  side  of  a  large  structure, 
which  contained  the  state  rooms  and  banqueting  hall, 
three  rows  of  pavilions  of  different  sizes  extended  in 
symmetrical  order.  They  were  connected  with  each 
other  by  colonnades,  or  by  little  bridges,  under  which 
flowed  canals,  that  watered  the  gardens  and  gave  the 
palace-grounds  the  aspect  of  a  town  built  on  islands. 

The  principal  part  of  the  castle  of  the  Pharaohs 
was  constructed  of  light  Nile-mud  bricks  and  elegantly 
carved  woodwork,  but  the  extensive  walls  which  sur- 
rounded it  were  ornamented  and  fortified  with  towers, 
in  front  of  which  heavily  armed  soldiers  stood  on 
guard. 

The  walls  and  pillars,  the  galleries  and  colonnades, 
even  the  roofs,  blazed  in  many  colored  paints,  and 
at  every  gate  stood  tall  masts,  from  which  red  and 

*  The  view  accepted  by  many  writers,  that  the  temples  were  also  the 
king's  palace,  is  erroneous.  In  the  best-preserved  temples,  as  at  Dendera  and 
Edfu.  we  know  the  purpose  of  the  several  rooms,  and  they  were  all  devoted  to 
the  service  of  the  gods.  We  learn  from  the  monuments  that  the  kings  in- 
habited extensive  buildings  surrounded  by  gardens,  and  constructed  of  light 
materials.  The  palaces  resembled,  in  fact,  the  houses  of  the  nobles,  but  were 
on  a  larger  scale. 


286  UARDA. 

blue  flags  fluttered  when  the  king  was  residing  there. 
Now  they  stood  up  with  only  their  brass  spikes,  which 
were  intended  to  intercept  and  conduct  the  lightning.* 

To  the  right  of  the  principal  building,  and  entirely 
surrounded  with  thick  plantations  of  trees,  stood  the 
houses  of  the  royal  ladies,  some  mirrored  in  the  lake 
which  they  surrounded  at  a  greater  or  less  distance.  In 
this  part  of  the  grounds  were  the  king's  storehouses  in 
endless  rows,  while  behind  the  centre  building,  in  which 
the  Pharaoh  resided,  stood  the  barracks  for  his  body- 
guard and  the  treasuries.  The  left  wing  was  occupied 
by  the  officers  of  the  household,  the  innumerable  ser- 
vants and  the  horses  and  chariots  of  the  sovereign. 

In  spite  of  the  absence  of  the  king  himself,  brisk 
activity  reigned  in  the  palace  of  Rameses,  for  a  hundred 
gardeners  watered  the  turf,  the  flower-borders,  the  shrubs 
and  trees;  companies  of  guards  passed  hither  and  thither; 
horses  were  being  trained  and  broken ;  and  the  princess's 
wing  Avas  as  full  as  a  beehive  of  servants  and  maids, 
officers  and  priests. 

Nefert  was  well  known  in  this  part  of  the  palace. 
The  gate-keepers  let  her  litter  pass  unchallenged,  with 
low  bows;  once  in  the  garden,  a  lord  in  waiting  received 
her,  and  conducted  her  to  the  chamberlain,  who,  after  a 
short  delay,  introduced  her  into  the  sitting-room  of  the 
king's  favorite  daughter. 

Bent-Ana t's  apartment  was  on  the  first  floor  of  the 
pavilion,  next  to  the  king's  residence.  Her  dead  mother 
had  inhabited  these  pleasant  rooms,  and  when  the  prin- 
cess was  grown  up  it  made  the  king  happy  to  feel  that 
she  was  near  him;  so  the  beautiful  house  of  the  wife 
who  had  too  early  departed,  was  given  up  to  her,  and 

*  According  to  an  inscription  first  interpreted  by  Dtimichen, 


UARDA.  287 

at  the  same  time,  as  she  was  his  eldest  daughter,  many 
privileges  were  conceded  to  her,  which  hitherto  none 
but  queens  had  enjoyed. 

The  large  room,  in  which  Nefert  found  the  princess, 
commanded  the  river.  A  doorway,  closed  with  light 
curtains,  opened  on  to  a  long  balcony  with  a  finely- 
worked  balustrade  of  copper-gilt,  to  which  clung  a 
climbing  rose  with  pink  flowers. 

When  Nefert  entered  the  room,  Bent-Anat  was  just 
having  the  rustling  curtain  drawn  aside  by  her  waiting- 
women;  for  the  sun  was  setting,  and  at  that  hour  she 
loved  to  sit  on  the  balcony,  as  it  grew  cooler,  and  watch 
with  devout  meditation  the  departure  of  Ra,  who,  as  the 
grey-haired  Turn,*  vanished  behind  the  western  horizon 
of  the  Necropolis  in  the  evening  to  bestow  the  blessing 
of  light  on  the  under-world. 

Nefert's  apartment  was  far  more  elegantly  appointed 
than  the  princess's;  her  mother  and  Mena  had  sur- 
rounded her  with  a  thousand  pretty  trifles.  Her  carpets 
were  made  of  sky-blue  and  silver  brocade  from  Damas- 
cus, the  seats  and  couches  were  covered  with  stuff  em- 
broidered in  feathers  by  the  Ethiopian  women,  which 
looked  like  the  breasts  of  birds.  The  images  of  the 
Goddess  Hathor,  which  stood  on  the  house-altar,  were 
of  an  imitation  of  emerald,  which  was  called  Mafkat, 
and  the  other  little  figures,  which  were  placed  near  their 
patroness,  were  of  lapis-lazuli,  malachite,  agate  and 
bronze,  overlaid  with  gold.  On  her  toilet-table  stood  a 
collection  of  salve-boxes,  and  cups  of  ebony  and  ivoiy 
finely  carved,  and  everything  was  arranged  with  the 
utmost  taste,  and  exactly  suited  Nefert  herself. 

Bent-Anat's  room  also  suited  the  owner. 

*  See  note  page  9. 


288  UARDA. 

It  was  high  and  airy,  and  its  furniture  consisted  in 
costly  but  simple  necessaries;  the  lower  part  of  the  wall 
was  lined  with  cool  tiles  of  white  and  violet  earthen- 
ware, on  each  of  which  was  pictured  a  star,  and  which, 
all  together,  formed  a  tasteful  pattern.  Above  these  the 
walls  were  covered  with  a  beautiful  dark  green  material 
brought  from  Sais,  and  the  same  stuff  was  used  to  cover 
the  long  divans  by  the  wall.  Chairs  and  stools,  made 
of  cane,  stood  round  a  very  large  table  in  the  middle  of 
this  room,  out  of  which  several  others  opened;  all 
handsome,  comfortable,  and  harmonious  in  aspect,  but 
all  betraying  that  their  mistress  took  small  pleasure  in 
trifling  decorations.  But  her  chief  delight  was  in  finely- 
grown  plants,  of  which  rare  and  magnificent  specimens, 
artistically  arranged  on  stands,  stood  in  the  corners  of 
many  of  the  rooms.  In  others  there  were  tall  obelisks 
of  ebony,  which  bore  saucers  for  incense,  which  all  the 
Egyptians  loved,  and  which  was  prescribed  by  their 
physicians  to  purify  and  perfume  their  dwellings.  Her 
simple  bedroom  would  have  suited  a  prince  who  loved 
floriculture,  quite  as  well  as  a  princess. 

Before  all  things  Bent-Anat  loved  air  and  light. 
The  curtains  of  her  windows  and  doors  were  only 
closed  when  the  position  of  the  sun  absolutely  required 
it;  while  in  Nefert's  rooms,  from  morning  till  evening, 
a  dim  twilight  was  maintained. 

The  princess  went  affectionately  towards  the  chari- 
oteer's wife,  who  bowed  low  before  her  at  the  threshold ; 
she  took  her  chin  with  her  right  hand,  kissed  her  deli- 
cate narrow  forehead,  and  said  : 

"  Sweet  creature !  At  last  you  have  come  uninvited 
to  see  lonely  me!  It  is  the  first  time  since  our  men 
went  away  to  the  war.  If  Rameses'  daughter  com- 


UARDA.  289 

mands  there  is  no  escape,  and  you  come;  but  of  your 
own  free  will — " 

Nefert  raised  her  large  eyes,  moist  with  tears,  with 
an  imploring  look,  and  her  glance  was  so  pathetic 
that  Bent-Anat  interrupted  herself,  and  taking  both  her 
hands,  exclaimed: 

"  Do  you  know  who  must  have  eyes  exactly  like 
yours?  I  mean  the  Goddess  from  whose  tears,  when 
they  fall  on  the  earth,  flowers  spring." 

Nefert's  eyes  fell  and  she  blushed  deeply. 

"  I  wish,"  she  murmured,  "  that  my  eyes  might  close 
for  ever,  for  I  am  very  unhappy."  And  two  large  tears 
rolled  down  her  cheeks. 

"What  has  happened  to  you,  my  darling?"  asked 
the  princess  sympathetically,  and  she  drew  her  towards 
her,  putting  her  arm  round  her  like  a  sick  child. 

Nefert  glanced  anxiously  at  the  chamberlain,  and 
the  ladies  in  waiting  who  had  entered  the  room  with 
her,  and  Bent-Anat  understood  the  look;  she  requested 
her  attendants  to  withdraw,  and  when  she  was  alone 
with  her  sad  little  friend — "Speak  now,"  she  said. 
"  What  saddens  your  heart  ?  how  comes  this  melancholy 
expression  on  your  dear  baby  face?  Tell  me,  and  I 
will  comfort  you,  and  you  shall  be  my  bright  thought- 
less plaything  once  more." 

"Thy  plaything!"  answered  Nefert,  and  a  flash  of 
displeasure  sparkled  in  her  eyes.  "Thou  art  right  to 
call  me  so,  for  I  deserve  no  better  name.  I  have  sub- 
mitted all  my  life  to  be  nothing  but  the  plaything  of 
others." 

"But,  Nefert,  I  do  not  know  you  again,"  cried  Bent- 
Anat.  "Is  this  my  gentle  amiable  dreamer?" 

"That  is  the  word  I  wanted,"  said  Nefert  in  a  low 


290  UARDA. 

tone.  "  I  slept,  and  dreamed,  and  dreamed  on — till 
Mena  awoke  me;  and  when  he  left  me  I  went  to  sleep 
again,  and  for  two  whole  years  I  have  lain  dreaming;  but 
to-day  I  have  been  torn  from  my  dreams  so  suddenly 
and  roughly,  that  I  shall  never  find  aay  rest  again." 

While  she  spoke,  heavy  tears  fell  slowly  one  after 
another  over  her  cheeks. 

Bent-Anat  felt  what  she  saw  and  heard  as  deeply 
as  if  Nefert  were  her  own  suffering  child.  She  lovingly 
drew  the  young  wife  down  by  her  side  on  the  divan, 
and  insisted  on  Nefert's  letting  her  know  all  that 
troubled  her  spirit. 

Katuti's  daughter  had  in  the  last  few  hours  felt  like 
one  born  blind,  and  who  suddenly  receives  his  sight. 
He  looks  at  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  the  mani- 
fold forms  of  the  creation  around  him,  but  the  beams 
of  the  day-star  blind  his  eyes,  and  the  new  forms, 
which  he  has  sought  to  guess  at  in  his  mind,  and  which 
throng  round  him  in  their  rude  reality,  shock  him  and 
pain  him.  To-day,  for  the  first  time,  she  had  asked 
herself  wherefore  her  mother,  and  not  she  herself,  was 
called  upon  to  control  the  house  of  which  she  neverthe- 
less was  called  the  mistress,*  and  the  answer  had  rung 
in  her  ears:  "Because  Mena  thinks  you  incapable  of 
thought  and  action."  He  had  often  called  her  his 
little  rose,  and  she  felt  now  that  she  was  neither  more  nor 
less  than  a  flower  that  blossoms  and  fades,  and  only 
charms  the  eye  by  its  color  and  beauty. 

"My  mother,"  she  said  to  Bent-Anat,  "no  doubt 
loves  me,  but  she  has  managed  badly  for  Mena,  very 
badly;  and  I,  miserable  idiot,  slept  and  dreamed  of 
Mena,  and  saw  and  heard  nothing  of  what  was  happen- 

*  Mistress  of  the  House  is  the  usual  title  of  the  wives  of  aristocratic  Kgyptiaos. 


UARDA.  Sgi 

ing  to  his — to  our — inheritance.  Now  my  mother  is 
afraid  of  my  husband,  and  those  whom  we  fear,  says 
my  uncle,  we  cannot  love,  and  we  are  always  ready  to 
believe  evil  of  those  we  do  not  love.  So  she  lends  an 
ear  to  those  people  who  blame  Mena,  and  say  of  him 
that  he  has  driven  me  out  of  his  heart,  and  has  taken 
a  strange  woman  to  his  tent.  But  it  is  false  and  a  lie; 
and  I  cannot  and  will  not  countenance  my  own  mother 
even,  if  she  embitters  and  mars  what  is  left  to  me — 
what  supports  me — the  breath  and  blood  of  my  life — 
my  love,  my  fervent  love  for  my  husband." 

Bent-Anat  had  listened  to  her  without  interrupting 
her;  she  sat  by  her  for  a  time  in  silence.  Then  she 
said: 

"  Come  out  into  the  gallery;  then  I  will  tell  you  what 
I  think,  and  perhaps  Toth  may  pour  some  helpful  counsel 
into  my  mind.  I  love  you,  and  I  know  you  well,  and 
though  I  am  not  wise,  I  have  my  eyes  open  and  a  strong 
hand.  Take  it,  come  with  me  on  to  the  balcony." 

A  refreshing  breeze  met  the  two  women  as  they 
stepped  out  into  the  air.  It  was  evening,  and  a  reviv- 
ing coolness  had  succeeded  the  heat  of  the  day.  The 
buildings  and  houses  already  cast  long  shadows,  and 
numberless  boats,  with  the  visitors  returning  from  the 
Necropolis,  crowded  the  stream  that  rolled  its  swollen 
flood  majestically  northwards. 

Close  below  lay  the  verdant  garden,  which  sent 
odors  from  the  rose-beds  up  to  the  princess's  balcony. 
A  famous  artist  had  laid  it  out  in  the  time  of  Hatasu, 
and  the  picture  which  he  had  in  his  mind,  when  he 
sowed  the  seeds  and  planted  the  young  shoots,  was  now 
realized,  many  decades  after  his  death.  He  had  thought 
of  planning  a  carpet,  on  which  the  palace  should  seem 


292  UARDA. 

to  stand.  Tiny  streams,  in  bends  and  curves,  formed 
the  outline  of  the  design,  and  the  shapes  they  enclosed 
were  filled  with  plants  of  every  size,  form,  and  color; 
beautiful  plats  of  fresh  green  turf  everywhere  represented 
the  groundwork  of  the  pattern,  and  flower-beds  and 
clumps  of  shrubs  stood  out  from  them  in  harmonious 
mixtures  of  colors,  while  the  tall  and  rare  trees,  of  which 
Hatasu's  ships*  had  brought  several  from  Arabia,  gave 
dignity  and  impressiveness  to  the  whole. 

Clear  drops  sparkled  on  leaf  and  flower  and  blade, 
for,  only  a  short  time  before,  the  garden  by  Bent-Anat's 
house  had  been  freshly  watered.  The  Nile  beyond 
surrounded  an  island,  where  flourished  the  well-kept 
sacred  grove  of  Amon. 

The  Necropolis  on  the  farther  side  of  the  river  was 
also  well  seen  from  Bent-Anat's  balcony.  There  stood 
in  long  perspective  the  rows  of  sphinxes,  which  led  from 
the  landing-place  of  the  festal  barges  to  the  gigantic 
buildings  of  Amenophis  III.  with  its  colossi — the  hugest 
in  Thebes — to  the  House  of  Seti,  and  to  the  temple  of 
Hatasu.  There  lay  the  long  workshops  of  the  em- 
balmers  and  closely-packed  homes  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  City  of  the  Dead.  In  the  farthest  west  rose  the 
Libyan  mountains  with  their  innumerable  graves,  and 
the  valley  of  the  kings'  tombs  took  a  wide  curve  behind, 
concealed  by  a  spur  of  the  hills. 

The  two  women  looked  in  silence  towards  the  west. 
The  sun  was  near  the  horizon — now  it  touched  it,  now 
it  sank  behind  the  hills;  and  as  the  heavens  flushed 
with  hues  like  living  gold,  blazing  rubies,  and  liquid 
garnet  and  amethyst,  the  evening  chant  rang  out  from 

*  Nchn  trees  brought  to  Egypt  in  large  tubs  are  represented  in  Hatasu's 
temple  at  Der  el  Bahri. 


UARDA.  293 

all  the  temples,  and  the  friends  sank  on  their  knees, 
hid  their  faces  in  the  bower-rose  garlands  that  clung 
to  the  trellis,  and  prayed  with  full  hearts. 

When  they  rose  night  was  spreading  over  the  land- 
scape, for  the  twilight  is  short  in  Thebes.  Here  and 
there  a  rosy  cloud  fluttered  across  the  darkening  sky, 
and  faded  gradually  as  the  evening  star  appeared. 

"I  am  content,"  said  Bent-Anat.  "And  you?  have 
you  recovered  your  peace  of  mind  ?" 

Nefert  shook  her  head.  The  princess  drew  her  on  to 
a  seat,  and  sank  down  beside  her.  Then  she  began  again : 

"  Your  heart  is  sore,  poor  child ;  they  have  spoilt  the 
past  for  you,  and  you  dread  the  future.  Let  me  be 
frank  with  you,  even  if  it  gives  you  pain.  You  are  sick, 
and  I  must  cure  you.  Will  you  listen  to  me  ?" 

"  Speak  on,"  said  Nefert. 

"  Speech  does  not  suit  me  so  well  as  action,"  re- 
plied the  princess ;  "  but  I  believe  I  know  what  you 
need,  and  can  help  you.  You  love  your  husband ;  duty 
calls  him  from  you,  and  you  feel  lonely  and  neglected ; 
that  is  quite  natural.  But  those  whom  I  love,  my 
father  and  my  brothers,  are  also  gone  to  the  war;  my 
mother  is  long  since  dead  ;  the  noble  woman,  whom  the 
king  left  to  be  my  companion,  was  laid  low  a  few 
weeks  since  by  sickness.  Look  what  a  half-abandoned 
spot  my  house  is !  Which  is  the  lonelier  do  you  think, 
you  or  I  ?" 

"  I,"  said  Nefert.  "  For  no  one  is  so  lonely  as  a 
wife  parted  from  the  husband  her  heart  longs  after." 

"  But  you  trust  Mena's  love  for  you  ?"  asked  Bent- 
Anat. 

Nefert  pressed  her  hand  to  her  heart  and  nodded 
assent : 


294  UARDA. 

"  And  he  will  return,  and  with  him  your  happiness." 

"  I  hope  so,"  said  Nefert  softly. 

"And  he  who  hopes,"  said  Bent-Anat,  "possesses 
already  the  joys  of  the  future.  Tell  me,  would  you 
have  changed  places  with  the  Gods  so  long  as  Mena 
was  with  you  ?  No !  Then  you  are  most  fortunate, 
for  blissful  memories — the  joys  of  the  past — are  yours 
at  any  rate.  What  is  the  present  ?  I  speak  of  it,  and 
it  is  no  more.  Now,  I  ask  you,  what  joys  can  I  look 
forward  to,  and  what  certain  happiness  am  I  justified 
in  hoping  for  ? 

"  Thou  dost  not  love  any  one,"  replied  Nefert. 
"  Thou  dost  follow  thy  own  course,  calm  and  un- 
deviating  as  the  moon  above  us.  The  highest  joys  are 
unknown  to  thee,  but  for  the  same  reason  thou  dost 
not  know  the  bitterest  pain." 

"  What  pain  ?"  asked  the  princess. 

"  The  torment  of  a  heart  consumed  by  the  fires  of 
Sechet,"  replied  Nefert. 

The  princess  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  ground, 
then  she  turned  her  eyes  eagerly  on  her  friend. 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  she  said  ;  "  I  know  what  love 
and  longing  are.  But  you  need  only  wait  till  a  feast- 
day  to  wear  the  jewel  that  is  your  own,  while  my 
treasure  is  no  more  mine  than  a  pearl  that  I  see 
gleaming  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

"Thou  canst  love!"  exclaimed  Nefert  with  joyful 
excitement.  "  Oh!  I  thank  Hathorthat  at  last  she  has 
touched  thy  heart.  The  daughter  of  Rameses  need 
not  even  send  for  the  diver  to  fetch  the  jewel  out  of 
the  sea;  at  a  sign  from  her  the  pearl  will  rise  of  itself, 
and  lie  on  the  sand  at  her  slender  feet." 

Bent-Anat  smiled  and  kissed  Nefert's  brow. 


UARDA.  295 

"  How  it  excites  you,"  she  said,  "  and  stirs  your 
heart  and  tongue !  If  two  strings  are  tuned  in  har- 
mony, and  one  is  struck,  the  other  sounds,  my  music- 
master  tells  me.  I  believe  you  would  listen  to  me  till 
morning  if  I  only  talked  to  you  about  my  love.  But 
it  was  not  for  that  that  we  came  out  on  the  balcony. 
Now  listen !  I  am  as  lonely  as  you,  I  love  less  happily 
than  you,  the  House  of  Seti  threatens  me  with  evil 
times — and  yet  I  can  preserve  my  full  confidence  in 
life  and  my  joy  in  existence.  How  can  you  explain 
this  ?" 

"  We  are  so  very  different,"  said  Nefert. 

"  True,"  replied  Bent-Anat,  "  but  we  are  both  young, 
both  women,  and  both  wish  to  do  right.  My  mother 
died,  and  I  have  had  no  one  to  guide  me,  for  I  who 
for  the  most  part  need  some  one  to  lead  me  can  al- 
ready command,  and  be  obeyed.  You  had  a  mother 
to  bring  you  up,  who,  when  you  were  still  a  child,  was 
proud  of  her  pretty  little  daughter,  and  let  her — as  it 
became  her  so  well — dream  and  play,  without  warning 
her  against  the  dangerous  propensity.  Then  Mena 
courted  you.  You  love  him  truly,  and  in  four  long 
years  he  has  been  with  you  but  a  month  or  two ;  your 
mother  remained  with  you,  and  you  hardly  observed 
that  she  was  managing  your  own  house  for  you,  and 
took  all  the  trouble  of  the  household.  You  had  a 
great  pastime  of  your  own — your  thoughts  of  Mena, 
and  scope  for  a  thousand  dreams  in  your  distant 
love.  I  know  it,  Nefert ;  all  that  you  have  seen  and 
heard  and  felt  in  these  twenty  months  has  centred  in 
him  and  him  alone.  Nor  is  it  wrong  in  itself.  The 
rose  tree  here,  which  clings  to  my  balcony,  delights  us 
both ;  but  if  the  gardener  did  not  frequently  prune  it 


296  UARDA. 

and  tie  it  with  palm-bast,  in  this  soil,  which  forces 
everything  to  rapid  growth,  it  would  soon  shoot  up  so 
high  that  it  would  cover  door  and  window,  and  I 
should  sit  in  darkness.  Throw  this  handkerchief  over 
your  shoulders,  for  the  dew  falls  as  it  grows  cooler, 
and  listen  to  me  a  little  longer! — The  beautiful 
passion  of  love  and  fidelity  has  grown  unchecked  in 
your  dreamy  nature  to  such  a  height,  that  it  darkens 
your  spirit  and  your  judgment.  Love,  a  true  love,  it 
seems  to  me,  should  be  a  noble  fruit-tree,  and  not  a 
rank  weed.  I  do  not  blame  you,  for  she  who  should 
have  been  the  gardener  did  not  heed — and  would  not 
heed — what  was  happening.  Look,  Nefert,  so  long  as 
I  wore  the  lock  of  youth,  I  too  did  what  I  fancied. 
I  never  found  any  pleasure  in  dreaming,  but  in  wild 
games  with  my  brothers,  in  horses  and  in  falconry;* 
they  often  said  I  had  the  spirit  of  a  boy,  and  indeed 
I  would  willingly  have  been  a  boy." 

"  Not  I — never !"  said  Nefert. 

"  You  are  just  a  rose — my  dearest,"  said  Bent-Anat. 
"  Well !  when  I  was  fifteen  I  was  so  discontented,  so 
insubordinate  and  full  of  all  sorts  of  wild  behavior,  so 
dissatisfied  in  spite  of  all  the  kindness  and  love  that 
surrounded  me — but  I  will  tell  you  what  happened. 
It  is  four  years  ago,  shortly  before  your  wedding  with 
Mena;  my  father  called  me  to  play  draughts.**  You 
know  how  certainly  he  could  beat  the  most  skilful 
antagonist;  but  that  day  his  thoughts  were  wandering, 
and  I  won  the  game  twice  following.  Full  of  insolent 
delight,  I  jumped  up  and  kissed  his  great  handsome 

*  In  many  papyri  of  the  period  of  this  narrative  the  training  of  falcons  is 
mentioned. 

**  At    Mcdinet  Habu  a  picture  represents  Rameses  the  Third,  not  Rameses 
the  Second,  playing  at  draughts  with  his  daughter. 


UARDA.  297 

forehead,  and  cried  '  The  sublime  God,  the  hero,  under 
whose  feet  the  strange  nations  writhe,*  to  whom  the 
priests  and  the  people  pray  —  is  beaten  by  a  girl!' 
He  smiled  gently,  and  answered  'The  Lords  of  Heaven 
are  often  outdone  by  the  Ladies,  and  Necheb,**  the 
lady  of  victory,  is  a  woman.'  Then  he  grew  graver, 
and  said :  '  You  call  me  a  God,  my  child,  but  in  this 
only  do  I  feel  truly  godlike,  that  at  every  moment 
I  strive  to  the  utmost  to  prove  myself  useful  by  my 
labors;  here  restraining,  there  promoting,  as  is  need- 
ful.*** Godlike  I  can  never  be  but  by  doing  or 
producing  something  great !'  These  words,  Nefert,  fell 
like  seeds  in  my  soul.  At  last  I  knew  what  it  was 
that  was  wanting  to  me;  and  when,  a  few  weeks  later, 
my  father  and  your  husband  took  the  field  with  a 
hundred  thousand  fighting  men,  I  resolved  to  be 
worthy  of  my  godlike  father,  and  in  my  little  circle 
to  be  of  use  too !  You  do  not  know  all  that  is  done 
in  the  houses  behind  there,  under  my  direction.  Three 
hundred  girls  spin  pure  flax,  and  weave  it  into  bands 
of  linen  for  the  wounds  of  the  soldiers;  numbers  of 
children,  and  old  women,  gather  plants  on  the  moun- 
tains, and  others  sort  them  according  to  the  instruc- 
tions of  a  physician ;  in  the  kitchens  no  banquets  are 
prepared,  but  fruits  are  preserved  in  sugar  for  the 
loved  ones,  and  the  sick  in  the  camp.  Joints  of  meat 
are  salted,  dried,  and  smoked  for  the  army  on  its 

*  A  formula  often  recurring  in  the  reports  of  victories. 

**  The  Kileithyia  of  the  Greeks.  The  Goddess  of  the  South,  in  contradis- 
tinction to  Buto,  the  Goddess  of  the  North.  She  often  flies,  in  the  form  of  a 
vulture,  as  the  goddess  of  victory  at  the  head  of  the  troops  led  to  war  hy  the 
Pharaoh. 

*"*  The  crook-shaped  staff,  and  the  whip  or  scourge  are  emblems  rarely 
missing  from  the  representations  of  the  Pharaohs,  and  several  of  the  gods; 
they  probably  refer  to  the  duty  of  a  king,  who  must  exercise  both  restraint  and 
coercion. 

20 


298  UARDA. 

march  through  the  desert.  The  butler  no  longer  thinks 
of  drinking-bouts,  but  brings  me  wine  in  great  stone 
jars ;  we  pour  it  into  well-closed  skins  for  the  soldiers, 
and  the  best  sorts  we  put  into  strong  flasks,  carefully 
sealed  with  pitch,  that  they  may  perform  the  journey 
uninjured,  and  warm  and  rejoice  the  hearts  of  our 
heroes.  All  that,  and  much  more,  I  manage  and  ar- 
range, and  my  days  pass  in  hard  work.  The  Gods  send 
me  no  bright  visions  in  the  night,  for  after  utter  fatigue 
I  sleep  soundly.  But  I  know  that  I  am  of  use.  I  can 
hold  my  head  proudly,  because  in  some  degree  I  re- 
semble my  great  father;  and  if  the  king  thinks  of  me 
at  all  I  know  he  can  rejoice  in  the  doings  of  his  child. 
That  is  the  end  of  it,  Nefert — and  I  only  say,  Come 
and  join  me,  work  with  me,  prove  yourself  of  use,  and 
compel  Mena  to  think  of  his  wife,  not  with  affection 
only,  but  with  pride."  Nefert  let  her  head  sink  slowly 
on  Bent-Anat's  bosom,  threw  her  arms  round  her  neck, 
and  wept  like  a  child.  At  last  she  composed  herself 
and  said  humbly : 

"  Take  me  to  school,  and  teach  me  to  be  useful." 
"  I  knew,"  said  the  princess  smiling,  "  that  you  only 
needed  a  guiding  hand.  Believe  me,  you  will  soon 
learn  to  couple  content  and  longing.  But  now  hear 
this !  At  present  go  home  to  your  mother,  for  it  is  late; 
and  meet  her  lovingly,  for  that  is  the  will  of  the  Gods. 
To-morrow  morning  I  will  go  to  see  you,  and  beg 
Katuti  to  let  you  come  to  me  as  companion  in  the 
place  of  my  lost  friend.  The  day  after  to-morrow 
you  will  come  to  me  in  the  palace.  You  can  live  in 
the  rooms  of  my  departed  friend  and  begin,  as  she 
had  done,  to  help  me  in  my  work.  May  these  hours 
be  blest  to  you  !" 


UARDA. 


29<J 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

AT  the  time  of  this  conversation  the  leech  Neb- 
secht  still  lingered  in  front  of  the  hovel  of  the  para- 
schites,  and  waited  with  growing  impatience  for  the 
old  man's  return. 

At  first  he  trembled  for  him ;  then  he  entirely  forgot 
the  danger  into  which  he  had  thrown  him,  and  only 
hoped  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  desires,  and  for  wonder- 
ful revelations  through  his  investigations  of  the  human 
heart. 

For  some  minutes  he  gave  himself  up  to  scientific 
considerations ;  but  he  became  more  and  more  agitated 
by  anxiety  for  the  paraschites,  and  by  the  exciting 
vicinity  of  Uarda. 

For  hours  he  had  been  alone  with  her,  for  her 
father  and  grandmother  could  no  longer  stop  away 
from  their  occupations.  The  former  must  go  to  escort 
prisoners  of  war  to  Hermonthis,  and  the  old  woman, 
since  her  granddaughter  had  been  old  enough  to 
undertake  the  small  duties  ot  the  household,  had  been 
one  of  the  wailing-women,  who,  with  hair  all  dis- 
hevelled, accompanied  the  corpse  on  its  way  to  the 
grave,  weeping,  and  lamenting,  and  casting  Nile-mud 
on  their  forehead  and  breast.  Uarda  still  lay,  when 
the  sun  was  sinking,  in  front  of  the  hut. 

She  looked  weary  and  pale.  Her  long  hair  had 
come  undone,  and  once  more  got  entangled  with  the 
straw  of  her  humble  couch.  If  Nebsecht  went  near 
her  to  feel  her  pulse  or  to  speak  to  her  she  carefully 
turned  her  face  from  him. 


300  UARDA. 

Nevertheless  when  the  sun  disappeared  behind  the 
rocks  he  bent  over  her  once  more,  and  said : 

"  It  is  growing  cool ;  shall  I  carry  you  indoors  ?" 

"  Let  me  alone,"  she  said  crossly.  "  I  am  hot,  keep 
farther  away.  I  am  no  longer  ill,  and  could  go  in- 
doors by  myself  if  I  wished ;  but  grandmother  will  be 
here  directly." 

Nebsecht  rose,  and  sat  down  on  a  hen-coop  that 
was  some  paces  from  Uarda,  and  asked  stammering: 

"Shall  I  go  farther  off?" 

"  Do  as  you  please,"  she  answered. 

"  You  are  not  kind,"  he  said  sadly. 

"  You  sit  looking  at  me,"  said  Uarda,  "  I  cannot 
bear  it ;  and  I  am  uneasy — for  grandfather  was  quite 
different  this  morning  from  his  usual  self,  and  talked 
strangely  about  dying,  and  about  the  great  price  that 
was  asked  of  him  for  curing  me.  Then  he  begged  me 
never  to  forget  him,  and  was  so  excited  and  so  strange. 
He  is  so  long  away ;  I  wish  he  were  here,  with  me." 

And  with  these  words  Uarda  began  to  cry  silently. 
A  nameless  anxiety  for  the  paraschites  seized  Nebsecht, 
and  it  struck  him  to  the  heart  that  he  had  demanded 
a  human  life  in  return  for  the  mere  fulfilment  of  a  duty. 
He  knew  the  law  well  enough,  and  knew  that  the  old 
man  would  be  compelled  without  respite  or  delay  to 
empty  the  cup  of  poison  if  he  were  found  guilty  of  the 
theft  of  a  human  heart. 

It  was  dark :  Uarda  ceased  weeping,  and  said  to 
the  surgeon : 

"  Can  it  be  possible  that  he  has  gone  into  the  city 
to  borrow  the  great  sum  of  money  that  thou — or  thy 
temple — demandest  for  thy  medicine  ?  But  there  is 
the  princess's  golden  bracelet,  and  half  of  father's 


UARDA.  301 

prize,  and  in  the  chest  two  years'  wages  that  grand- 
mother had  earned  by  wailing,  lie  untouched.  Is  all 
that  not  enough?" 

The  girl's  last  question  was  full  of  resentment  and 
reproach,  and  Nebsecht,  whose  perfect  sincerity  was 
part  of  his  very  being,  was  silent,  as  he  would  not 
venture  to  say  yes.  He  had  asked  more  in  return  for 
his  help  than  gold  or  silver.  Now  he  remembered  Pen- 
taur's  warning,  and  when  the  jackals  began  to  bark  he 
took  up  the  fire-stick,*  and  lighted  some  fuel  that  was 
lying  ready.  Then  he  asked  himself  what  Uarda's 
fate  would  be  without  her  grandparents,  and  a  strange 
plan  which  had  floated  vaguely  before  him  for  some 
hours,  began  now  to  take  a  distinct  outline  and  in- 
telligible form.  He  determined  if  the  old  man  did 
not  return  to  ask  the  kolchytes  or  embalmers  to  admit 
him  into  their  guild** — and  for  the  sake  of  his  adroit- 
ness they  were  not  likely  to  refuse  him — then  he  would 
make  Uarda  his  wife,  and  live  apart  from  the  world, 
for  her,  for  his  studies,  and  for  his  new  calling,  in 
which  he  hoped  to  learn  a  great  deal.  What  did  he 
care  for  comfort  and  proprieties,  for  recognition  from 
his  fellow-men,  and  a  superior  position! 

He  could  hope  to  advance  more  quickly  along  the 
new  stony  path  than  on  the  old  beaten  track.  The  im- 
pulse to  communicate  his  acquired  knowledge  to 
others  he  did  not  feel.  Knowledge  in  itself  amply 
satisfied  him,  and  he  thought  no  more  of  his  ties  to 
the  House  of  Seti.  For  three  whole  days  he  had  not 


*  The  hieroglyphic  sign  Sam  seems  to  me  to  represent  the  wooden  stick 
used  to  produce  iire  (as  among  some  savage  tribes)  by  rapid  friction  in  a 
hollow  piece  of  wood. 

**'  This  guild  still  existed  in  Roman  times,   and  we  have  much  information 
about  it  in  various  Greek  papyri. 


302  UARDA. 

changed  his  garments,  no  razor  had  touched  his  chin 
or  his  scalp,  not  a  drop  of  water  had  wetted  his  hands 
or  his  feet.  He  felt  half  bewildered  and  almost  as  if 
he  had.  already  become  an  embalmer,  nay  even  a 
paraschites,  one  of  the  most  despised  of  human  beings. 
This  self-degradation  had  an  infinite  charm,  for  it 
brought  him  down  to  the  level  of  Uarda,  and  she, 
lying  near  him,  sick  and  anxious,  with  her  dishevelled 
hair,  exactly  suited  the  future  which  he  painted  to 
himself. 

"Do  you  hear  nothing?"  Uarda  asked  suddenly. 

He  listened.  In  the  valley  there  was  a  barking  o't 
dogs,  and  soon  the  paraschites  and  his  wife  appeared, 
and,  at  the  door  of  their  hut,  took  leave  of  old  Hekt, 
who  had  met  them  on  her  return  from  Thebes. 

"You  have  been  gone  along  time,"  cried  Uarda, 
when  her  grandmother  once  more  stood  before  her.  "  I 
have  been  so  frightened." 

"The  doctor  was  with  you,"  said  the  old  woman 
going  into  the  house  to  prepare  their  simple  meal, 
while  the  paraschites  knelt  down  by  his  granddaugh- 
ter, and  caressed  her  tenderly,  but  yet  with  respect, 
as  if  he  were  her  faithful  servant  rather  than  her  blood- 
relation. 

Then  he  rose,  and  gave  to  Nebsecht,  who  was 
trembling  with  excitement,  the  bag  of  coarse  linen 
which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  carrying  tied  to  him  by 
a  narrow  belt. 

•'The  heart  is  in  that,"  he  whispered  to  the  leech; 
"take  it  out,  and  give  me  back  the  bag,  for  my  knife 
is  in  it,  and  I  want  it." 

Nebsecht  took  the  heart  out  of  the  covering  with 
trembling  hands  and  laid  it  carefully  down.  Then  he 


UARDA.  303 

felt  in  the  breast  of  his  dress,  and  going  up  to  the 
paraschites  he  whispered: 

"  Here,  take  the  writing,  hang  it  round  your  neck, 
and  when  you  die  I  will  have  the  book  of  scripture 
wrapped  up  in  your  mummy  cloths  like  a  great  man. 
But  that  is  not  enough.  The  property  that  I  inherited 
is  in  the  hands  of  my  brother,  who  is  a  good  man  of 
business,  and  I  have  not  touched  the  interest  for  ten 
years.  I  will  send  it  to  you,  and  you  and  your  wife 
shall  enjoy  an  old  age  free  from  care." 

The  paraschites  had  taken  the  little  bag  with  the 
strip  of  papyrus,  and  heard  the  leech  to  the  end. 
Then  he  turned  from  him  saying:  "Keep  thy  money; 
we  are  quits.  That  is  if  the  child  gets  well,"  he 
added  humbly. 

"She  is  already  half  cured,"  stammered  Nebsecht. 
"  But  why  will  you — why  won't  you  accept — " 

"  Because  till  to  day  I  have  never  begged  nor  bor- 
rowed," said  the  paraschites,  "and  I  will  not  begin  in 
my  old  age.  Life  for  life.  But  what  I  have  done  this 
day  not  Rameses  with  all  his  treasure  could  repay." 

Nebsecht  looked  down,  and  knew  not  how  to  an- 
swer the  old  man. 

His  wife  now  came  out;  she  set  a  bowl  of  lentils 
that  she  had  hastily  warmed  before  the  two  men,  with 
radishes  and  onions,*  then  she  helped  Uarda,  who  did 
not  need  to  be  carried,  into  the  house,  and  invited 
Nebsecht  to  share  their  meal.  He  accepted  her  in- 
vitation, for  he  had  eaten  nothing  since  the  previous 
evening. 


*  Radishes,  onions,  and  garlic  were  the  hors-d'oeuvre  of  an  Egyptian 
dinner.  1,600  talents  worth  were  consumed,  according  to  Herodotus,  during 
the  building  of  the  pyramid  of  Cheops  .^,£360,000. 


304  UARDA. 

When  the  old  woman  had  once  more  disappeared 
indoors,  he  asked  the  paraschites: 

"Whose  heart  is  it  that  you  have  brought  me,  and 
how  did  it  come  into  your  hands  ?  " 

"Tell  me  first,"  said  the  other,  "why  thou  hast 
laid  such  a  heavy  sin  upon  my  soul  ?  " 

"  Because  I  want  to  investigate  the  structure  of  the 
human  heart,"  said  Nebsecht,  "so  that,  when  I  meet 
with  diseased  hearts,  I  may  be  able  to  cure  them." 

The  paraschites  looked  for  a  long  time  at  the 
ground  in  silence;  then  he  said — 

"Art  thou  speaking  the  truth?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  leech  with  convincing  emphasis. 

"I  am  glad,"  said  the  old  man,  "for  thou  givest 
help  to  the  poor." 

"As  willingly  as  to  the  rich!"  exclaimed  Nebsecht. 
"But  tell  me  now  where  you  got  the  heart." 

"I  went  into  the  house  of  the  embalmer,"  said  the 
old  man,  after  he  had  selected  a  few  large  flints,  to 
which,  with  crafty  blows,  he  gave  the  shape  of  knives, 
"and  there  I  found  three  bodies  in  which  I  had  to 
make  the  eight  prescribed  incisions  with  my  flint-knife. 
When  the  dead  lie  there  undressed  on  the  wooden 
bench  they  all  look  alike,  and  the  begger  lies  as  still 
as  the  favorite  son  of  a  king.  But  I  knew  very  well 
who  lay  before  me.  The  strong  old  body  in  the 
middle  of  the  table  was  the  corpse  of  the  Superior  of 
the  temple  of  Hatasu,  and  beyond,  close  by  each 
other,  were  laid  a  stone-mason  of  the  Necropolis,  and 
a  poor  girl  from  the  strangers'  quarter,  who  had  died 
of  consumption — two  miserable  wasted  figures.  I  had 
known  the  Prophet  well,  for  I  had  met  him  a  hundred 
times  in  his  gilt  litter,  and  we  always  -called  him  Rui, 


UARDA.  305 

the  rich.  I  did  my  duty  by  all  three,  I  was  driven 
away  with  the  usual  stoning,  and  then  I  arranged  the 
inward  parts  of  the  bodies  with  my  mates.  Those  of 
the  Prophet  are  to  be  preserved  later  in  an  alabaster 
canopus,*  those  of  the  mason  and  the  girl  were  put 
back  in  their  bodies. 

"  Then  I  went  up  to  the  three  bodies,  and  I  asked 
myself,  to  which  I  should  do  such  a  wrong  as  to  rob 
him  of  his  heart.  I  turned  to  the  two  poor  ones,  and 
I  hastily  went  up  to  the  sinning  girl.  Then  I  heard 
the  voice  of  the  demon  that  cried  out  in  my  heart : 
'  The  girl  was  poor  and  despised  like  you  while  she 
walked  on  Seb,**  perhaps  she  may  find  compensation 
and  peace  in  the  other  world  if  you  do  not  mutilate 
her;'  and  when  I  turned  to  the  mason's  lean  corpse, 
and  looked  at  his  hands,  which  were  harder  and 
rougher  than  my  own,  the  demon  whispered  the  same. 
Then  I  stood  before  the  strong,  stout  corpse  of  the 
prophet  Rui,  who  died  of  apoplexy,  and  I  remembered 
the  honor  and  the  riches  that  he  had  enjoyed  on 
earth,  and  that  he  at  least  for  a  time  had  known  hap- 
piness and  ease.  And  as  soon  as  I  was  alone,  I 
slipped  my  hand  into  the  bag,  and  changed  the  sheep's 
heart  for  his. 

"  Perhaps  I  am  doubly  guilty  for  playing  such  an 
accursed  trick  with  the  heart  of  a  high-priest ;  but 
Rui's  body  will  be  hung  round  with  a  hundred  amu- 
lets, Scarabaei***  will  be  placed  over  his  heart,  and  holy 

*  This  vase  was  called  canopus  at  a  later  date.  There  were  four  of 
them  for  each  mummy. 

**  Seb  is  the  earth ;  Plutarch  calls  Seh  Chronos.  He  is  often  spoken  of  as 
"  the  father  of  the  gods  "  on  the  monuments.  He  is  the  god  of  time,  and  as  the 
Egyptians  regarded  matter  as  eternal,  it  is  not  by  accident  that  the  sign  which 
represented  the  earth  was  also  used  for  eternity. 

***  Imitations  of  the  sacred  beetle  Scarabams  made  of  various  materials  were 


306  UARDA. 

oil  and  sacred  sentences  will  preserve  him  from  all 
the  fiends  on  his  road  to  Amend,*  while  no  one  will 
devote  helping  talismans  to  the  poor.  And  then  !  thou. 
hast  sworn,  in  that  world,  in  the  hall  of  judgment,  to 
take  my  guilt  on  thyself." 

Nebsecht  gave  the  old  man  his  hand. 

"  That  I  will,"  said  he,  "  and  I  should  have  chosen 
as  you  did.  Now  take  this  draught,  divide  it  in  four 
parts,  and  give  it  to  Uarda  for  four  evenings  following.** 
Begin  this  evening,  and  by  the  day  after  to-morrow  I 
think  she  will  be  quite  well.  I  will  come  again  and 
look  after  her.  Now  go  to  rest,  and  let  me  stay  a 
while  out  here;  before  the  star  of  Isis***  is  extinguished 
I  will  be  gone,  for  they  have  long  been  expecting  me 
at  the  temple." 

When  the  paraschites  came  out  of  his  hut  the  next 
morning,  Nebsecht  had  vanished ;  but  a  blood-stained 
cloth  that  lay  by  the  remains  of  the  fire  showed  the 
old  man  that  the  impatient  investigator  had  examined 
the  heart  of  the  high-priest  during  the  night,  and  per- 
haps cut  it  up. 

Terror  fell  upon  him,  and  in  agony  of  mind  he 
threw  himself  on  his  knees  as  the  golden  bark  of  the 
Sun-God  appeared  on  the  horizon,  and  prayed  fervently, 
first  for  Uarda,  and  then  for  the  salvation  of  his  im- 
perilled soul. 

He  rose  encouraged,  convinced  himself  that  his 
granddaughter  was  progressing  towards  recovery,  bid 
farewell  to  his  wife,  took  his  flint  knife  and  his  bronze 

frequently  put  into  tlie  mummies  in  the  place  of  the  heart.  Large  specimen;; 
have  often  the  26th,  joth,  and  64th  chapters  of  the  Book  of  the  Dead  engraved 
on  them,  as  they  treat  of  the  heart. 

*  Under-world.  *"  A  very  frequent  direction  in  the  medical  papyri. 

*"*  Sirius,  or  the  Sothis  star. 


UARDA.  307 

hook,*  and  went  to  the  house  of  the  embalmer  to  follow 
his  dismal  calling. 

The  group  of  buildings  in  which  the  greater  num- 
ber of  the  corpses  from  Thebes  went  through  the  pro- 
cesses of  mummifying,  lay  on  the  bare  desert-land  at 
some  distance  from  his  hovel,  southwards  from  the 
House  of  Seti  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  They  oc- 
cupied by  themselves  a  fairly  large  space,  enclosed  by  a 
rough  wall  of  dried  mud-bricks. 

The  bodies  were  brought  in  through  the  great  gate 
towards  the  Nile,  and  delivered  to  the  kolchytes,** 
while  the  priests,  paraschites,  and  taricheutes,***  bearers 
and  assistants,  who  here  did  their  daily  work,  as  well  as 
innumerable  water-carriers  who  came  up  from  the  Nile, 
loaded  with  skins,  found  their  way  into  the  establish- 
ment by  a  side  gate. 

At  the  farthest  northern  end  stood  a  handsome 
building  of  wood,  with  a  separate  gate,  in  which  the 
orders  of  the  bereaved  were  taken,  and  often  indeed 
those  of  men  still  in  active  life,  who  thought  to  provide 
betimes  for  their  suitable  interment.t 

The  crowd  in  this  house  was  considerable.  About 
fifty  men  and  women  were  moving  in  it  at  the  present 
moment,  all  of  different  ranks;  and  not  only  from  Thebes 
but  from  many  smaller  towns  of  Upper  Egypt,  to  make 

*  The   brains   of  corpses    were    drawn    out   of   the   nose   with  a  hook. 
Herodotus  1 1..  87. 

**  The  whole  guild  of  embalmers. 
'"*  Sailers  of  the  bodies. 

t    The  well-known  pas-sages   in    Herodotus  and  in   Piodorus,    are    amply 
supported  by  the  manuscripts  of  the   ancient    Egyptian 
work  on   a  papyrus   published   by  Manette,  and  on  one 
Me'inoirfs   sur  qiie/fiifs   pnf>yrns    an   louvre,    an<i    L,' 
inent,  we  have  a  mass   of  hitherto   unknown  details  on 
ing.     Czermak's   physiological  investigation   of  two   mu 
teresting  results,  and  demonstrated  the  wonderful  preser 
delicate  tissues.     His  researches  were  printed  in    "  Sim 
Akademie  der  Wissenschaften,"  Vienna,  1852.      The  bili 
also  affords  valuable  information. 


hi  Maspero's  able 
the  Louvre,  entitled, 
ritncl  de  I'embannie- 
he  ritual  for  embalm- 
imies  led  to  very  m- 
ation  of  even  the  most 
igsberichten  der  k.  k. 
;ual  papyrus  of  Rhmd 


308  UARDA. 

purchases  or  to  give  commissions  to  the  functionaries 
who  were  busy  here. 

This  bazaar  of  the  dead  was  well  supplied,  for  cof- 
fins of  every  form  stood  up  against  the  walls,  from  the 
simplest  chest  to  the  richly  gilt  and  painted  coffer,  in 
form  resembling  a  mummy.  On  wooden  shelves  lay 
endless  rolls  of  coarse  and  fine  linen,  in  which  the 
limbs  of  the  mummies  were  enveloped,  and  which  were 
manufactured  by  the  people  of  the  embalming  establish- 
ment under  the  protection  of  the  tutelar  goddesses  of 
weavers,  Neith,  Isis  and  Nephthys,  though  some  were 
ordered  from  a  distance,  particularly  from  Sais. 

There  was  free  choice  for  the  visitors  of  this  pattern- 
room  in  the  matter  of  mummy-cases  and  cloths,  as  well 
as  of  necklets,  scarabaei,  statuettes,  Uza-eyes,  girdles, 
head-rests,  triangles,  split-rings,  staves,  and  other  sym- 
bolic objects,  which  were  attached  to  the  dead  as 
sacred  amulets,  or  bound  up  in  the  wrappings. 

There  were  innumerable  stamps  of  baked  clay, 
which  were  buried  in  the  earth  to  show  any  one  who 
might  dispute  the  limits,  how  far  each  grave  extended, 
images  of  the  gods,  which  were  laid  in  the  sand  to 
purify  and  sanctify*  it — for  by  nature  it  belonged  to 
Seth-Typhon — as  well  as  the  figures  called  Schebti, 
which  were  either  enclosed  several  together  in  little 
boxes,  or  laid  separately  in  the  grave ;  it  was  supposed 
that  they  would  help  the  dead  to  till  the  fields  of  the 
blessed  with  the  pick-axe,  plough,  and  seed-bag  which 
they  carried  on  their  shoulders. 

The    widow   and   the  steward  of   the  wealthy   Su- 

*  The  purpose  of  the  amulets  is  in  most  cases  known,  as  almost  every  one 
has  a  chapter  of  the  book  of  the  dead  devoted  to  it.  The  little  clay  cones  and 
images  are  found  in  vast  numbers,  and  may  be  met  with  in  every  Museum. 


UARDA.  309 

penor  of  the  temple  of  Hatasu,  and  with  them  a  priest 
of  high  rank,  were  in  eager  discussion  with  the  officials 
of  the  embalming-house,  and  were  selecting  the  most 
costly  of  the  patterns  of  mummy-cases  which  were 
offered  to  their  inspection,  the  finest  linen,  and  amulets 
'of  malachite,  and  lapis-lazuli,  of  blood-stone,  carnelian 
and  green  felspar,*  as  well  as  the  most  elegant  ala- 
baster canopi  for  the  deceased;  his  body  was  to  be 
enclosed  first  in  a  sort  of  case  of  papier-mache,  and 
then  in  a  wooden  and  a  stone  coffin.  They  wrote  his 
name  on  a  wax  tablet  which  was  ready  for  the  purpose, 
with  those  of  his  parents,  his  wife  and  children,  and  all 
his  titles;  they  ordered  what  verses  should  be  written  on 
his  coffin,  what  on  the  papyrus-rolls  to  be  enclosed  in  it, 
and  what  should  be  se'j  out  above  his  name.  With  re- 
gard to  the  inscription  on  the  walls  of  the  tomb,  the  ped- 
estal of  the  statue  to  be  placed  there  and  the  face  of  the 
stele**  to  be  erected  in  it,  yet  further  particulars  would 
be  given ;  a  priest  of  the  temple  of  Seti  was  charged  to 
write  them,  and  to  draw  up  a  catalogue  of  the  rich  offer- 
ings of  the  survivors.  The  last  could  be  done  later, 
when,  after  the  division  of  the  property,  the  amount  of 
the  fortune  he  had  left  could  be  ascertained.  The  mere 
mummifying  of  the  body  with  the  finest  oils  and  es- 
sences, cloths,  amulets,  and  cases,  would  cost  a  talent 
of  silver,  without  the  stone  sarcophagus.*** 

The  widow  wore  a  long  mourning  robe,  her  forehead 
was  lightly  daubed  with  Nile-mud,  and  in  the  midst  of 
her  chaffering  with  the  functionaries  of  the  embalming- 

*  The  use  of  this  material  proves  the  extent  of  commerce  in  these  early 
times,  for  green  felspar  is  now  known  to  be  found  only  in  countries  remote  from 
Egypt. 

**  Stone  tablet  with  round  pediment. 

***  According  to  Diodorns  i.,  91,  first  class  embalming  cost  one  silvev 
talent,  second  class  twenty  minx. 


310  UARDA. 

house,  whose  prices  she  complained  of  as  enormous 
and  rapacious,  from  time  to  time  she  broke  out  into  a 
loud  wail  of  grief — as  the  occasion  demanded. 

More  modest  citizens  finished  their  commissions 
sooner,  though  it  was  not  unusual  for  the  income  of  a 
whole  year  to  be  sacrificed  for  the  embalming  of  the 
head  of  a  household — the  father  or  the  mother  of  a 
family.  The  mummifying  of  the  poor  was  cheap,  and 
that  of  the  poorest  had  to  be  provided  by  the  kolchytes 
as  a  tribute  to  the  king,  to  whom  also  they  were  obliged 
to  pay  a  tax  in  linen  from  their  looms. 

This  place  of  business  was  carefully  separated  from 
the  rest  of  the  establishment,  which  none  but  those 
who  were  engaged  in  the  processes  carried  on  there 
were  on  any  account  permitted  to  enter.  The  kolchytes 
formed  a  closely-limited  guild  at  the  head  of  which 
stood  a  certain  number  of  priests,  and  from  among 
them  the  masters  of  the  many  thousand  members  were 
chosen.  This  guild  was  highly  respected,  even  the 
taricheutes,  who  were  entrusted  with  the  actual  work 
of  embalming,  could  venture  to  mix  with  the  other 
citizens,  although  in  Thebes  itself  people  always  avoided 
them  with  a  certain  horror;  only  the  paraschites,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  open  the  body,  bore  the  whole  curse  of 
uncleanness.  Certainly  the  place  where  these  people 
fulfilled  their  office  was  dismal  enough. 

The  stone  chamber  in  which  the  bodies  were 
opened,  and  the  halls  in  which  they  were  prepared 
with  salt,  had  adjoining  them  a  variety  of  laboratories 
and  depositaries  for  drugs  and  preparations  of  every 
description. 

In  a  court-yard,  protected  from  the  rays  of  the  sun 
only  by  an  awning,  was  a  large  walled  bason,  contain- 


UARDA.  311 

ing  a  solution  of  natron,  in  which  the  bodies  were 
salted,  and  they  were  then  dried  in  a  stone  vault, 
artificially  supplied  with  hot  air. 

The  little  wooden  houses  of  the  weavers,  as  well 
as  the  work-shops  of  the  case-joiners  and  decorators, 
stood  in  numbers  round  the  pattern-room;  but  the 
farthest  off,  and  much  the  largest  of  the  buildings  of 
the  establishment,  was  a  very  long  low  structure,  solidly 
built  of  stone  and  well  roofed  in,  where  the  prepared 
bodies  were  enveloped  in  their  cerements,  tricked  out 
in  amulets,  and  made  ready  for  their  journey  to  the 
next  world.  What  took  place  in  this  building — into 
which  the  laity  were  admitted,  but  never  for  more  than 
a  few  minutes — was  to  the  last  degree  mysterious,  for 
here  the  gods  themselves  appeared  to  be  engaged  with 
the  mortal  bodies. 

Out  of  the  windows  which  opened  on  the  street, 
recitations,  hymns,  and  lamentations  sounded  night  and 
day.  The  priests  who  fulfilled  their  office  here  wore 
masks  like  the  divinities  of  the  under-world.*  Many 
were  the  representatives  of  Anubis,  with  the  jackal- 
head,  assisted  by  boys  with  masks  of  the  so-called 
child-Horus.  At  the  head  of  each  mummy  stood  or 
sfjuatted  a  wailing-woman  with  the  emblems  of  Neph- 
thys,  and  one  at  its  feet  with  those  of  Isis. 

Every  separate  limb  of  the  deceased  was  dedi- 
cated to  a  particular  divinity  by  the  aid  of  holy  oils, 
charms,  and  sentences;  a  specially  prepared  cloth  was 
wrapped  round  each  muscle,  every  drug  and  every 

*  There  are  many  indications  of  this  in  the  tomb  paintings,  and  a  papyrus 
(III.  of  the  museum  at  Bulaq)  confirms  the  idea.  The  art  of  moulding  masks 
in  a  paste  resembling  papier-mache  was  early  known  to  the  Egyptians,  and 
such  a  mask  of  the  dead  is  not  unfrequemly  found  at  the  head  of  mummy 
cases. 


312  UARDA. 

bandage  owed  its  origin  to  some  divinity,  and  the  con-' 
fusion  of  sounds,  of  disguised  figures,  and  of  various 
perfumes,  had  a  stupefying  effect  on  those  who  visited 
this  chamber.  It  need  not  be  said  that  the  whole  em- 
balming establishment  and  its  neighborhood  was  en- 
veloped in  a  cloud  of  powerful  resinous  fumes,  of  sweet 
attar,  of  lasting  musk,  and  pungent  spices. 

When  the  wind  blew  from  the  west  it  was  wafted 
across  the  Nile  to  Thebes,  and  this  was  regarded  as  an 
evil  omen,  for  from  the  south-west  comes  the  wind  that 
enfeebles  the  energy  of  men — the  fatal  simoon. 

In  the  court  of  the  pattern-house  stood  several 
groups  of  citizens  from  Thebes,  gathered  round  different 
individuals,  to  whom  they  were  expressing  their  sympa- 
thy. A  new-comer,  the  superintendent  of  the  victims 
of  the  temple  of  Amon,  who  seemed  to  be  known  to 
many  and  was  greeted  with  respect,  announced,  even 
before  he  went  to  condole  with  Rui's  widow,  in  a  tone 
full  of  horror  at  what  had  happened,  that  an  omen, 
significant  of  the  greatest  misfortune,  had  occurred  in 
Thebes,  in  a  spot  no  less  sacred  than  the  very  temple  of 
Amon  himself. 

Many  inquisitive  listeners  stood  round  him  while 
he  related  that  the  Regent  Ani,  in  his  joy  at  the  victory 
of  his  troops  in  Ethiopia,  had  distributed  wine  with  a 
lavish  hand  to  the  garrison  of  Thebes,  and  also  to  the 
watchmen  of  the  temple  of  Amon,  and  that,  while  the 
people  were  carousing,  wolves*  had  broken  into  the 

*  Wolves  have  now  disappeared  from  Egypt ;  they  were  sacred  animals, 
and  were  worshipped  and  buried  at  I.ykopolis,  the  present  Sint,  where  mummies 
of  wolves  have  been  found.  Herodotus  says  that  if  a  wolf  was  foun  1  dead  he 
was  buried,  and  Aelian  states  that  the  herb  Lykoktonon,  which  was  p  isonous  to 
wolves,  might  on  no  account  be  brought  into  the  city,  where  they  wer  held  sac- 

ter,  which 


red.     The  wolf  numbered  among  the  sacred  animals  is  the 

exists  in  I'.gypt  at  the  present  day.      Besides  this  species  there  are  thr 

of  wild  do;;s,  the  jackal,  fox,  and  fenek,  canis  cerda. 


UARDA.  313 

stable  of  the  sacred  rams.*  Some  were  killed,  but 
the  noblest  ram,  which  Rameses  himself  had  sent  as  a 
gift  from  Mendes  when  he  set  out  for  the  war — the 
magnificent  beast  which  Amon  had  chosen  as  the 
tenement  of  his  spirit,**  was  found,  torn  in  pieces, 
by  the  soldiers,  who  immediately  terrified  the  whole 
city  with  the  news.  At  the  same  hour  news  had  come 
from  Memphis  that  the  sacred  bull  Apis  was  dead. 

All  the  people  who  had  collected  round  the  priest, 
broke  out  into  a  far-sounding  cry  of  woe,  in  which  he 
himself  and  Rui's  widow  vehemently  joined. 

The  buyers  and  functionaries  rushed  out  of  the 
pattern-room,  and  from  the  mummy-house  the  tari- 
cheutes,  paraschites  and  assistants ;  the  weavers  left 
their  looms,  and  all,  as  soon  as  they  had  learned  what 
had  happened,  took  part  in  the  lamentations,  howling 
and  wailing,  tearing  their  hair  and  covering  their  faces 
with  dust. 

The  noise  was  loud  and  distracting,  and  when  its 
violence  diminished,  and  the  workpeople  went  back  to 
their  business,  the  east  wind  brought  the  echo  of  the 
cries  of  the  dwellers  in  the  Necropolis,  perhaps  too, 
those  of  the  citizens  of  Thebes  itself. 

"  Bad  news,"  said  the  inspector  of  the  victims, 
"  cannot  fail  to  reach  us  soon  from  the  king  and  the 
army ;  he  will  regret  the  death  of  the  ram  which  we 

*  There  was  also  a  bull  which  was  sacred  to  Amon. 

**  The  ram  was  especially  worshipped  at  Mendes.  The  ruins  of  this  city 
have  been  found  at  a  short  distance  from  Mansura  in  the  Delta,  and  Brugsch 
has  interpreted  some  inscriptions  which  were  found  there,  and  which  throw 
new  light  on  the  worship  of  the  ram,  and  on  the  accounts  of  it  which  have 
been  handed  down  to  us.  The  ram  is  called  "  Ba,"  which  is  also  the  name  foi 
the  Soul,  and  the  sacred  rams  were  supposed  to  be  the  living  embodiment  of 
the  soul  of  Ra. 

21 


314  UARDA. 

called  by  his  name  more  than  that  of  Apis.  It  is  a 
bad — a  very  bad  omen." 

"  My  lost  husband  Rui,  who  rests  in  Osiris,  foresaw 
it  all,"  said  the  widow.  "  If  only  I  dared  to  speak  I 
could  tell  a  good  deal  that  many  might  find  un- 
pleasant." 

The  inspector  of  sacrifices  smiled,  for  he  knew 
that  the  late  superior  of  the  temple  of  Hatasu  had 
been  an  adherent  of  the  old  royal  family,  and  he 
replied : 

"  The  Sun  of  Rameses  may  be  for  a  time  covered 
with  clouds,  but  neither  those  who  fear  it  nor  those 
who  desire  it  will  live  to  see  its  setting." 

The  priest  coldly  saluted  the  lady,  and  went  into 
the  house  of  a  weaver  in  which  he  had  business,  and 
the  widow  got  into  her  litter  which  was  waiting  at 
the  gate. 

The-  old  paraschites  Pinem  had  joined  with,  his 
fellows  in  the  lamentation  for  the  sacred  beasts,  and 
was  now  sitting  on  the  hard  pavement  of  the  dissecting 
room  to  eat  his  morsel  of  food — for  it  was  noon. 

The  stone  room  in  which  he  was  eating  his  meal 
was  badly  lighted;  the  daylight  came  through  a  small 
opening  in  the  roof,  over  which  the  sun  stood  per- 
pendicularly, and  a  shaft  of  bright  rays,  in  which 
danced  the  whirling  motes,  shot  down  through  the 
twilight  on  to  the  stone  pavement.  Mummy-cases 
leaned  against  all  the  walls,  and  on  smooth  polished 
slabs  lay  bodies  covered  with  coarse  cloths.  A  rat 
scudded  now  and  then  across  the  floor,  and  from  the 
wide  cracks  between  the  stones  sluggish  scorpions 
crawled  out. 


UARDA.  315 

The  old  paraschites  was  long  since  blunted  to  the 
horror  which  pervaded  this  locality.  He  had  spread  a 
coarse  napkin,  and  carefully  laid  on  it  the  provisions 
which  his  wife  had  put  into  his  satchel;  first  half  a 
cake  of  bread,  then  a  little  salt,  and  finally  a  radish. 

But  the  bag  was  not  yet  empty. 

He  put  his  hand  in  and  found  a  piece  of  meat 
wrapped  up  in  two  cabbage-leaves.  Old  Hekt  had 
brought  a  leg  of  a  gazelle  from  Thebes  for  Uarda,  and 
he  now  saw  that  the  women  had  put  a  piece  of  it  into 
his  little  sack  for  his  refreshment.  He  looked  at  the 
gift  with  emotion,  but  he  did  not  venture  to  touch  it, 
for  he  felt  as  if  in  doing  so  he  should  be  robbing  the 
sick  girl.  While  eating  the  bread  and  the  radish  he 
contemplated  the  piece  of  meat  as  if  it  were  some 
costly  jewel,  and  when  a  fly  dared  to  settle  on  it  he 
drove  it  off  indignantly. 

At  last  he  tasted  the  meat,  and  thought  of  many 
former  noon-day  meals,  and  how  he  had  often  found 
a  flower  in  the  satchel,  that  Uarda  had  placed  there  to 
please  him,  with  the  bread.  His  kind  old  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  and  his  whole  heart  swelled  with  gratitude 
and  love.  He  looked  up,  and  his  glance  fell  on  the 
table,  and  he  asked  himself  how  he  would  have  felt  if 
instead  of  the  old  priest,  robbed  of  his  heart,  the  sun- 
shine of  his  old  age,  his  granddaughter,  were  lying 
there  motionless.  A  cold  shiver  ran  over  him,  and  he 
felt  that  his  own  heart  would  not  have  been  too  great 
a  price  to  pay  for  her  recovery.  And  yet !  In  the 
course  of  his  long  life  he  had  experienced  so  much 
suffering  and  wrong,  that  he  could  not  imagine 
any  hope  of  a  better  lot  in  the  other  world.  Then 
he  drew  out  the  bond  Nebsecht  had  given  him,  held 


316  UARDA. 

it  up  with  both  hands,  as  if  to  show  it  to  the  Im- 
mortals, and  particularly  to  the  judges  in  the  hall  of 
truth  and  judgment,  that  they  might  not  reckon  with 
him  for  the  crime  he  had  committed — not  for  him- 
self but  for  another — and  that  they  might  not  refuse 
to  justify  Rui,  whom  he  had  robbed  of  his  heart. 

While  he  thus  lifted  his  soul  in  devotion,  matters 
were  getting  warm  outside  the  dissecting  room.  He 
thought  he  heard  his  name  spoken,  and  scarcely  had 
he  raised  his  head  to  listen  when  a  taricheut  came 
in  and  desired  him  to  follow  him. 

In  front  of  the  rooms,  filled  with  resinous  odors 
and  incense,  in  which  the  actual  process  of  embalming 
was  carried  on,  a  number  of  taricheutes  were  standing 
and  looking  at  an  object  in  an  alabaster  bowl.  The 
knees  of  the  old  man  knocked  together  as  he  recognized 
the  heart  of  the  beast  which  he  had  substituted  for 
that  of  the  Prophet. 

The  chief  of  the  taricheutes  asked  him  whether  he 
had  opened  the  body  of  the  dead  priest. 

Pinem  stammered  out  "  Yes." 

Whether  this  was  his  heart  ? 

The  old  man  nodded  affirmatively. 

The  taricheutes  looked  at  each  other,  whispered 
together;  then  one  of  them  went  away,  and  returned 
soon  with  the  inspector  of  victims  from  the  temple  of 
Amon,  whom  he  had  found  in  the  house  of  the  weaver, 
and  the  chief  of  the  kolchytes. 

"  Show  me  the  heart,"  said  the  superintendent  of 
the  sacrifices  as  he  approached  the  vase.  "  I  can  decide 
in  the  dark  if  you  have  seen  rightly.  I  examine  a 
hundred  animals  every  day.  Give  it  here ! — By  all  the 
Gods  of  Heaven  and  Hell  that  is  the  heart  of  a  ram !" 


UARDA.  317 

"  It  was  found  in  the  breast  of  Rui,"  said  one  of 
the  taricheutes  decisively.  "  It  was  opened  yesterday 
in  the  presence  of  us  all  by  this  old  paraschites." 

"  It  is  extraordinary,"  said  the  priest  of  Amon. 
"  And  incredible.  But  perhaps  an  exchange  was 
effected. — Did  you  slaughter  any  victims  here  yester- 
day or —  ?" 

"We  are  purifying  ourselves,"  the  chief  of  the 
kolchytes  interrupted,  "  for  the  great  festival  of  the 
valley,  and  for  ten  days  no  beast  can  have  been  killed 
here  for  food ;  besides,  the  stables  and  slaughter- 
houses are  a  long  way  from  this,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  linen-factories." 

"  It  is  strange  !"  replied  the  priest.  "  Preserve  this 
heart  carefully,  kolchytes :  or,  better  still,  let  it  be 
enclosed  in  a  case.  We  will  take  it  over  to  the  chief 
prophet  of  Amon.  It  would  seem  that  some  miracle 
has  happened." 

"  The  heart  belongs  to  the  Necropolis,"  answered 
the  chief  kolchytes,  "  and  it  would  therefore  be  mor& 
fitting  if  we  took  it  to  the  chief  priest  of  the  temple 
of  Seti,  Ameni." 

"  You  command  here  !"  said  the  other.  "Let  us  go." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  priest  of  Amon  and  the 
chief  of  the  kolchytes  were  being  carried  towards  the 
valley  in  their  litters.  A  taricheut  followed  them,  who 
sat  on  a  seat  between  two  asses,  and  carefully  carried 
a  casket  of  ivory,  in  which  reposed  the  rain's  heart. 

The  old  paraschites  watched  the  priests  disappear 
behind  the  tamarisk  bushes.  He  longed  to  run  aftei 
them,  and  tell  them  everything. 

His  conscience  quaked  with  self  reproach,  and  it 
his  sluggish  intelligence  did  not  enable  him  to  take  in 


318  UARDA. 

at  a  glance  all  the  results  that  his  deed  might  entail, 
he  still  could  guess  that  he  had  sown  a  seed  whence 
deceit  of  every  kind  must  grow.  He  felt  as  if  he  had 
fallen  altogether  into  sin  and  falsehood,  and  that  the 
goddess  of  truth,  whom  he  had  all  his  life  honestly 
served,  had  reproachfully  turned  her  back  on  him. 
After  what  had  happened  never  could  he  hope  to  be 
pronounced  a  "truth-speaker"  by  the  judges  of  the 
dead.  Lost,  thrown  away,  was  the  aim  and  end  of  a 
long  life,  rich  in  self-denial  and  prayer!  His  soul 
shed  tears  of  blood,  a  Avild  sighing  sounded  in  his 
ears,  which  saddened  his  spirit,  and  when  he  went 
back  to  his  work  again,  and  wanted  to  remove  the 
soles  of  the  feet*  from  a  body,  his  hand  trembled  so 
that  he  could  not  hold  the  knife. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  news  of  the  end  of  the  sacred  ram  of  Amon, 
and  of  the  death  of  the  bull  Apis  of  Memphis,  had 
reached  the  House  of  Seti,  and  was  received  there  with 
loud  lamentation,  in  which  all  its  inhabitants  joined,  from 
the  chief  haruspex  down  to  the  smallest  boy  in  the 
school-courts. 

The  superior  of  the  institution,  Ameni,  had  been 
for  three  days  in  Thebes,  and  was  expected  to  return 
to-day.  His  arrival  was  looked  for  with  anxiety  and 
excitement  by  many.  The  chief  of  the  haruspices  was 
eager  for  it  that  he  might  hand  over  the  imprisoned 


UARDA.  319 

scholars  to  condign  punishment,  and  complain  to  him 
of  Pentaur  and  Bent-Anat ;  the  initiated  knew  that 
important  transactions  must  have  been  concluded  on 
the  farther  side  of  the  Nile ;  and  the  rebellious  disciples 
knew  that  now  stern  justice  would  be  dealt  to  them. 

The  insurrectionary  troop  were  locked  into  an 
open  court  upon  bread  and  water,  and  as  the  usual 
room  of  detention  of  the  establishment  was  too  small 
for  them  all,  for  two  nights  they  had  had  to  sleep  in  a 
loft  on  thin  straw  mats.  The  young  spirits  Avere  excited 
to  the  highest  pitch,  but  each  expressed  his  feelings 
in  quite  a  different  manner. 

Bent-Anat's  brother,  Rameses'  son,  Rameri,  had  ex- 
perienced the  same  treatment  as  his  fellows,  whom 
yesterday  he  had  led  into  every  sort  of  mischief,  with 
even  more  audacity  than  usual,  but  to-day  he  hung 
his  head. 

In  a  corner  of  the  court  sat  Anana,  Pentaur's 
favorite  scholar,  hiding  his  face  in  his  hands  which 
rested  on  his  knees.  Rameri  went  up  to  him,  touched 
his  shoulders  and  said : 

"  We  have  played  the  game,  and  now  must  bear 
the  consequences  for  good  and  for  evil.  Are  you  not 
ashamed  of  yourself,  old  boy  ?  Your  eyes  are  wet,  and 
the  drops  here  on  your  hands  have  not  fallen  from 
the  clouds.  You  who  are  seventeen,  and  in  a  few 
months  will  be  a  scribe  and  a  grown  man !" 

Anana  looked  at  the  prince,  dried  his  eyes  quickly, 
and  said : 

"  I  was  the  ring-leader.  Ameni  will  turn  me  out 
of  the  place,  and  I  must  return  disgraced  to  my  poor 
mother,  who  has  no  one  in  the  world  but  me." 


320  UARDA. 

"  Poor  fellow  !"  said  Rameri  kindly.  "  It  was  striking 
at  random !  If  only  our  attempt  had  done  Pentaur 
any  good !" 

"  We  have  done  him  harm,  on  the  contrary,"  said 
Anana  vehemently,  "  and  have  behaved  like  fools!" 

Rameri  nodded  in  full  assent,  looked  thoughtful 
for  a  moment,  and  then  said : 

"  Do  you  know,  Anana,  that  you  were  not  the  ring- 
leader ?  The  trick  was  planned  in  this  crazy  brain ; 
I  take  the  whole  blame  on  my  own  shoulders.  I  am 
the  son  of  Rameses,  and  Ameni  will  be  less  hard  on 
me  than  on  you." 

"  He  will  examine  us  all,"  replied  Anana,  "  and  I 
will  be  punished  sooner  than  tell  a  lie." 

Rameri  colored. 

"  Have  you  ever  known  my  tongue  sin  against  the 
lovely  daughter  of  Ra  ?"  he  exclaimed.  "  But  look 
here !  did  I  stir  up  Antef,  Hapi,  Sent  and  all  the  others 
or  no?  Who  but  I  advised  you  to  find  out  Pentaur? 
Did  I  threaten  to  beg  my  father  to  take  me  from  the 
school  of  Seti  or  not  ?  I  was  the  instigator  of  the 
mischief,  I  pulled  the  wires,  and  if  we  are  questioned 
let  me  speak  first.  Not  one  of  you  is  to  mention 
Anana's  name ;  do  you  hear  ?  not  one  of  you,  and  if 
they  flog  us  or  deprive  us  of  our  food  we  all  stick  to 
this,  that  I  was  guilty  of  all  the  mischief." 

"  You  are  a  brave  fellow !"  said  the  son  of  the 
chief  priest  of  Amon,  shaking  his  right  hand,  while 
Anana  held  his  left. 

The  prince  freed  himself  laughing  from  their 
grasp. 

"  Now  the  old  man  may  come  home,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  we  are  ready  for  him.  But  all  the  same  I  will  ask 


UARDA.  321 

my  father  to  send  me  to  Chennu,  as  sure  as  my  name 
is  Rameri,  if  they  do  not  recall  Pentaur." 

"  He  treated  us  like  school-boys !"  said  the  eldest 
of  the  young  malefactors. 

"  And  with  reason,"  replied  Rameri,  "  I  respect  him 
all  the  more  for  it.  You  all  think  I  am  a  careless  dog 
— but  I  have  my  own  ideas,  and  I  will  speak  the  words 
of  wisdom." 

With  these  words  he  looked  round  on  his  com- 
panions with  comical  gravity,  and  continued — imitating 
Ameni's  manner : 

"  Great  men  are  distinguished  from  little  men  by 
this — they  scorn  and  contemn  all  which  flatters  their 
vanity,  or  seems  to  them  for  the  moment  desirable,  or 
even  useful,  if  it  is  not  compatible  with  the  laws  which 
they  recognize,  or  conducive  to  some  great  end  which 
they  have  set  before  them ;  even  though  that  end  may 
not  be  reached  till  after  their  death. 

"  I  have  learned  this,  partly  from  my  father,  but 
partly  I  have  thought  it  out  for  myself;  and  now  I  ask 
you,  could  Pentaur  as  'a  great  man'  have  dealt  with 
us  better  ?" 

"  You  have  put  into  words  exactly  what  I  myself 
have  thought  ever  since  yesterday,"  cried  Anana. 
"We  have  behaved  like  babies,  and  instead  of  carrying 
our  point  we  have  brought  ourselves  and  Pentaur  into 
disgrace." 

The  rattle  of  an  approaching  chariot  was  now 
audible,  and  Rameri  exclaimed,  interrupting  Anana: 

"  It  is  he.  Courage,  boys !  I  am  the  guilty  one. 
He  will  not  dare  to  have  me  thrashed — but  he  will 
stab  me  with  looks  !" 


322  UARDA. 

Ameni  descended  quickly  from  his  chariot.  The 
gate-keeper  informed  him  that  the  chief  of  the 
kolchytes,  and  the  inspector  of  victims  from  the  temple 
of  Amon,  desired  to  speak  with  him. 

" They  must  wait,"  said  the  Prophet  shortly.  "Show 
them  meanwhile  into  the  garden  pavilion.  Where  is 
the  chief  haruspex  ?" 

He  had  hardly  spoken  w.hen  the  vigorous  old  man 
for  whom  he  was  enquiring  hurried  to  meet  him,  to 
make  him  acquainted  with  all  that  had  occurred  in 
his  absence.  But  the  high-priest  had  already  heard 
in  Thebes  all  that  his  colleague  was  anxious  to  tell 
him. 

When  Ameni  was  absent  from  the  House  of  Seti, 
he  caused  accurate  information  to  be  brought  to  him 
every  morning  of  what  had  taken  place  there. 

Now  when  the  old  man  began  his  story  he  inter- 
rupted him. 

"  I  know  everything,"  he  said.  "  The  disciples  cling 
to  Pentaur,  and  have  committed  a  folly  for  his  sake, 
and  you  met  the  princess  Bent- An  at  with  him  in  the 
temple  of  Hatasu,  to  which  he  had  admitted  a  woman 
of  low  rank  before  she  had  been  purified.  These  are 
grave  matters,  and  must  be  seriously  considered,  but 
not  to-day.  Make  yourself  easy;  Pentaur  will  not 
escape  punishment ;  but  for  to-day  we  must  recall  him 
to  this  temple,  for  we  have  need  of  him  to-morrow  for 
the  solemnity  of  the  feast  of  the  valley.  No  one 
shall  meet  him  as  an  enemy  till  he  is  condemned ; 
I  desire  this  of  you,  and  charge  you  to  repeat  it  to 
the  others," 

The  haruspex  endeavored  to  represent  to  his 
superior  what  a  scandal  would  arise  from  this  un- 


UARDA,  323 

timely  clemency ;  but  Ameni  did  not  allow  him  to  talk, 
he  demanded  his  ring  back,  called  a  young  priest, 
delivered  the  precious  signet  into  his  charge,  and 
desired  him  to  get  into  his  chariot  that  was  waiting 
at  the  door,  and  carry  to  Pentaur  the  command,  in 
his  name,  to  return  to  the  temple  of  Seti. 

The  haruspex  submitted,  though  deeply  vexed,  and 
asked  whether  the  guilty  boys  were  also  to  go  un- 
punished. 

"  No  more  than  Pentaur,"  answered  Ameni.  "  But 
can  you  call  this  school-boy's  trick  guilt  ?  Leave  the 
children  to  their  fun,  and  their  imprudence.  The 
educator  is  the  destroyer,  if  he  always  and  only  keeps 
his  eyes  open,  and  cannot  close  them  at  the  right 
moment.  Before  life  demands  of  us  the  exercise  of 
serious  duties  we  have  a  mighty  over-abundance  of 
vigor  at  our  disposal;  the  child  exhausts  it  in  play, 
and  the  boy  in  building  wonder-castles  with  the 
hammer  and  chisel  of  his  fancy,  in  inventing  follies. 
You  shake  your  head,  Septah !  but  I  tell  you,  the 
audacious  tricks  of  the  boy  are  the  fore-runners  of 
the  deeds  of  the  man.  I  shall  let  one  only  of  the 
boys  suffer  for  what  is  past,  and  I  should  let  him  even 
go  unpunished  if  I  had  not  other  pressing  reasons 
for  keeping  him  away  from  our  festival." 

The  haruspex  did  not  contradict  his  chief;  for  he 
knew  that  when  Ameni's  eyes  flashed  so  suddenly,  and 
his  demeanor,  usually  so  measured,  was  as  restless  as 
at  present,  something  serious  was  brewing. 

The  high-priest  understood  what  was  passing  in 
Septah's  mind. 

"You  do  not  understand  me  now,"  said  he.  "  But 
this  evening,  at  the  meeting  of  the  initiated,  you  shall 


324  UARDA. 

know  all.  Great  events  are  stirring.  The  brethren  in 
the  temple  of  Amon,  on  the  other  shore,  have  fallen 
off  from  what  must  always  be  the  Holiest  to  us  white- 
robed  priests,  and  will  stand  in  our  way  when  the 
time  for  action  is  arrived.  At  the  feast  of  the  valley 
we  shall  stand  in  competition  with  the  brethren  from 
Thebes.  All  Thebes  will  be  present  at  the  solemn 
service,  and  it  must  be  proved  which  knows  how  to 
serve  the  Divinity  most  worthily,  they  or  we.  We  must 
avail  ourselves  of  all  our  resources,  and  Pentaur  we 
certainly  cannot  do  without.  He  must  fill  the  func- 
tion of  Cherheb*  for  to-morrow  only ;  the  day  after 
he  must  be  brought  to  judgment.  Among  the  re- 
bellious boys  are  our  best  singers,  and  particularly 
young  Anana,  who  leads  the  voices  of  the  choir-boys; 
I  will  examine  the  silly  fellows  at  once.  Rameri — 
Rameses'  son — was  among  the  young  miscreants  ?" 

"  He  seems  to  have  been  the  ring-leader,"  answered 
Septah. 

Ameni  looked  at  the  old  man  with  a  significant 
smile,  and  said : 

"The  royal  family  are  covering  themselves  with 
honor!  His  eldest  daughter  must  be  kept  far  from 
the  temple  and  the  gathering  of  the  pious,  as  being 
unclean  and  refractory,  and  we  shall  be  obliged  to 
expel  his  son  too  from  our  college.  You  look  horrified, 
but  I  say  to  you  that  the  time  for  action  is  come. 
More  of  this,  this  evening.  Now,  one  question  :  Has 
the  news  of  the  death  of  the  ram  of  Amon  reached 
you  ?  Yes  ?  Rameses  himself  presented  him  to  the 
God,  and  they  gave  it  his  name.  A  bad  omen." 

*  Cherheb  wns  the  title  of  the  speaker  or  reciter  at  a  festival.  We  cannot 
agree  with  those  who  confuse  this  personage  with  the  chief  of  the  Kolchytes. 


UARDA.  325 

"  And  Apis  too  is  dead  !"  The  haruspex  threw  up 
his  arms  in  lamentation. 

"  His  Divine  spirit  has  returned  to  God,"  replied 
Ameni.  "  Now  we  have  much  to  do.  Before  all 
things  we  must  prove  ourselves  equal  to  those  in 
Thebes  over  there,  and  win  the  people  over  to  our 
side.  The  panegyric  prepared  by  us  for  to-morrow  must 
offer  some  great  novelty.  The  Regent  Ani  grants  us 
a  rich  contribution,  and — " 

"  And,"  interrupted  Septah,  "  our  thaumaturgists 
understand  things  very  differently  from  those  of  the 
house  of  Amon,  who  feast  while  we  practise." 

Ameni  nodded  assent,  and  said  with  a  smile:  "Also 
we  are  more  indispensable  than  they  to  the  people. 
They  show  them  the  patli  of  life,  but  we  smooth  the 
way  of  death.  It  is  easier  to  find  the  way  without  a 
guide  in  the  day-light  than  in  the  dark.  We  are  more 
than  a  match  for  the  priests  of  Amon." 

"  So  long  as  you  are  our  leader,  certainly,"  cried  the 
haruspex. 

"And  so  long  as  the  temple  has  no  lack  of  men  of 
your  temper! "  added  Ameni,  half  to  Septah,  and  half  to 
the  second  prophet  of  the  temple,  sturdy  old  Gagabu, 
who  had  come  into  the  room. 

Both  accompanied  him  into  the  garden,  where  the 
two  priests  were  awaiting  him  with  the  miraculous 
heart. 

Ameni  greeted  the  priest  from  the  temple  of  Amon 
with  dignified  friendliness,  the  head  kolchytes  with 
distant  reserve,  listened  to  their  story,  looked  at  the 
heart  which  lay  in  the  box,  with  Septah  and  Gagabu, 
touched  it  delicately  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  care- 


326  UARDA. 

fully  examining  the  object,  which  diffused  a  strong  per- 
fume of  spices;  then  he  said  earnestly: 

"  If  this,  in  your  opinion,  kolchytes,  is  not  a  human 
heart,  and  if  in  yours,  my  brother  of  the  temple  of 
Amon,  it  is  a  ram's  heart,  and  if  it  was  found  in  the 
body  of  Rui,  who  is  gone  to  Osiris,  we  here  have  a 
mystery  which  only  the  Gods  can  solve.  Follow  me 
into  the  great  court.  Let  the  gong  be  sounded,  Gagabu, 
four  times,  for  I  wish  to  call  all  the  brethren  to- 
gether." 

The  gong  rang  in  loud  waves  of  sound  to  the 
farthest  limits  of  the  group  of  buildings.  The  initiated, 
the  fathers,  the  temple-servants,  and  the  scholars  streamed 
in,  and  in  a  few  minutes  were  all  collected.  Not  a  man 
was  wanting,  for  at  the  four  strokes  of  the  rarely-sounded 
alarum  every  dweller  in  the  House  of  Seti  was  expected 
to  appear  in  the  court  of  the  temple.  Even  the  leech 
Nebsecht  came;  for  he  feared  that  the  unusual  sum- 
mons announced  the  outbreak  of  a  fire. 

Ameni  ordered  the  assembly  to  arrange  itself  in  a 
procession,  informed  his  astonished  hearers  that  in  the 
breast  of  the  deceased  prophet  Rui,  a  ram's  heart,  in- 
stead of  a  man's,  had  been  found,  and  desired  them  all 
to  follow  his  instructions.  Each  one,  he  said,  was  to 
fall  on  his  knees  and  pray,  while  he  would  carry  the 
heart  into  the  holiest  of  holies,  and  enquire  of  the 
Gods  what  this  wonder  might  portend  to  the  faithful. 

Ameni,  with  the  heart  in  his  hand,  placed  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  procession,  and  disappeared  behind  the 
veil  of  the  sanctuary;  the  initiated  prayed  in  the  vesti- 
bule, in  front  of  it;  the  priests  and  scholars  in  the  vast 
court,  which  was  closed  on  the  west  by  the  stately 
colonnade  and  the  main  gateway  to  the  temple. 


UARDA.  327 

For  fully  an  hour  Ameni  remained  in  the  silent 
holy  of  holies,  from  which  thick  clouds  of  incense  rolled 
out,  and  then  he  reappeared  with  a  golden  vase  set  with 
precious  stones.  His  tall  figure  was  now  resplendent 
with  rich  ornaments,  and  a  priest,  Avho  walked  before 
him,  held  the  vessel  high  above  his  head. 

Ameni's  eyes  seemed  spell-bound  to  the  vase,  and 
he  followed  it,  supporting  himself  by  his  crozier,  with 
humble  inflections. 

The  initiated  bowed  their  heads  till  they  touched 
the  pavement,  and  the  priests  and  scholars  bent  their 
faces  down  to  the  earth,  when  they  beheld  their  haughty 
master  so  filled  with  humility  and  devotion.  The  wor- 
shippers did  not  raise  themselves  till  Ameni  had  reached 
the  middle  of  the  court  and  ascended  the  steps  of  the 
altar,  on  which  the  vase  with  the  heart  was  now  placed, 
and  they  listened  to  the  slow  and  solemn  accents  of 
the  high-priest  which  sounded  clearly  through  the  whole 
court. 

''Fall  down  again  and  worship!  wonder,  pray,  and 
adore!  The  noble  inspector  of  sacrifices  of  the  temple 
of  Amon  has  not  been  deceived  in  his  judgment;  a 
ram's  heart  was  in  fact  found  in  the  pious  breast  of 
Rui.  I  heard  distinctly  the  voice  of  the  Divinity  in  the 
sanctuary,  and  strange  indeed  was  the  speech  that  met 
my  ear.  Wolves  tore  the  sacred  ram  of  Amon  in  his 
sanctuary  on  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  but  the  heart 
of  the  divine  beast  found  its  way  into  the  bosom  of  the 
saintly  Rui.  A  great  miracle  has  been  worked,  and 
the  Gods  have  shown  a  wonderful  sign.  The  spirit  of 
the  Highest  liked  not  to  dwell  in  the  body  of  this  not 
perfectly  holy  ram,  and  seeking  a  purer  abiding-place 
found  it  in  the  breast  of  our  Rui;  and  now  in  this  con- 


328  UARBA. 

secrated  vase.  In  this  the  heart  shall  he  preserved  till 
a  new  ram  offered  by  a  worthy  hand  enters  the  herd  of 
Amon.  This  heart  shall  be  preserved  with  the  most 
sacred  relics,  it  has  the  property  of  healing  many 
diseases,  and  the  significant  words  seem  favorable 
which  stood  written  in  the  midst  of  the  vapor  of  in- 
cense, and  which  I  will  repeat  to  you  word  for  word, 
'That  which  is  high  shall  rise  higher,  and  that  which 
exalts  itself,  shall  soon  fall  down.'  Rise,  pastophori! 
hasten  to  fetch  the  holy  images,  bring  them  out,  place 
the  sacred  heart  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  and  let 
us  march  round  the  walls  of  the  temple  with  hymns  of 
praise.  Ye  temple-servants,  seize  your  staves,  and  spread 
in  every  part  of  the  city  the  news  of  the  miracle  which 
the  Divinity  has  vouchsafed  to  us." 

After  the  procession  had  marched  round  the  temple 
and  dispersed,  the  priest  of  Amon  took  leave  of  Ameni; 
he  bowed  deeply  and  formally  before  him,  and  with  a 
coolness  that  was  almost  malicious  said: 

"We,  in  the  temple  of  Amon,  shall  know  how  to 
appreciate  what  you  heard  in  the  holy  of  holies.  The 
miracle  has  occurred,  and  the  king  shall  learn 
how  it  came  to  pass,  and  in  what  words  it  was  an- 
nounced." 

"In  the  words  of  the  Most  High,"  said  the  high- 
priest  with  dignity;  he  bowed  to  the  other,  and  turned 
to  a  group  of  priests,  who  were  discussing  the  great 
event  of  the  day. 

Ameni  enquired  of  them  as  to  the  preparations  for 
the  festival  of  the  morrow,  and  then  desired  the  chief 
haruspex  to  call  the  refractory  pupils  together  in  the 
school-court.  The  old  man  informed  him  that  Pentaur 
had  returned,  and  he  followed  his  superior  to  the 


UARDA.  329 

released  prisoners,  who,  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  ex- 
pecting severe  punishment,  nevertheless  shook  with 
laughter  when  Raineri  suggested  that,  if  by  chance  they 
were  condemned  to  kneel  upon  peas,  they  should  get 
them  cooked  first. 

"  It  will  be  long  asparagus* — not  peas,"  said  another 
looking  over  his  shoulder,  and  pretending  to  be  flogging. 

They  all  shouted  again  with  laughter,  but  it  was  hushed 
as  soon  as  they  heard  Ameni's  well-known  footstep. 

Each  feared  the  worst,  and  when  the  high-priest 
stood  before  them  even  Rameri's  mirth  was  quite 
quelled,  for  though  Aineni  looked  neither  angry  nor 
threatening,  his  appearance  commanded  respect,  and 
each  one  recognized  in  him  a  judge  against  whose  ver- 
dict no  remonstrance  was  to  be  thought  of. 

To  their  infinite  astonishment  Ameni  spoke  kindly 
to  the  thoughtless  boys,  praised  the  motive  of  their  ac- 
tion— their  attachment  to  a  highly-endowed  teacher 
— but  then  clearly  and  deliberately  laid  before  them 
the  folly  of  the  means  they  had  employed  to  attain 
their  end,  and  at  what  a  cost.  "  Only  think,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  the  prince,  "  if  your  father  sent  a 
general,  who  he  thought  would  be  better  in  a  different 
place,  from  Syria  to  Kusch,  and  his  troops  therefore 
all  went  over  to  the  enemy  !  How  would  you  like 
that  ?" 

So  for  some  minutes  he  continued  to  blame  and 
warn  them,  and  he  ended  his  speech  by  promising,  in 
consideration  of  the  great  miracle  that  gave  that  day  a 
special  sanctity,  to  exercise  unwonted  clemency.  For 
the  sake  of  example,  he  said,  he  could  not  let  them 

*  Asparagus  was  known  to  the   Rgyptians.     Pliny  says   they  held  in   their 
mouths,  as  a  remedy  for  toothache,  wine  in  which  asparagus  had  been  cooked. 
22 


33°  UARDA. 

pass  altogether  unpunished,  and  he  now  asked  them 
which  of  them  had  been  the  instigator  of  the  deed;  he 
and  he  only  should  suffer  punishment. 

He  had  hardly  done  speaking,  when  prince  Rameri 
stepped  forward,  and  said  modestly : 

"  We  acknowledge,  holy  father,  that  we  have  played 
a  foolish  trick;  and  I  lament  it  doubly  because  I  de- 
vised it,  and  made  the  others  follow  me.  I  love  Pen- 
taur,  and  next  to  thee  there  is  no  one  like  him  in  the 
sanctuary." 

Ameni's  countenance  grew  dark,  and  he  answered 
with  displeasure: 

"  No  judgment  is  allowed  to  pupils  as  to  their 
teachers — nor  to  you,  If  you  were  not  the  son  of  the 
king,  who  rules  Egypt  as  Ra,  I  would  punish  your 
temerity  with  stripes.  My  hands  are  tied  with  regard 
to  you,  and  yet  they  must  be  everywhere  and  always  at 
work  if  the  hundreds  committed  to  my  care  are  to  be 
kept  from  harm." 

"Nay,  punish  me!"  cried  Rameri.  "If  I  commit  a 
folly  I  am  ready  to  bear  the  consequences." 

Ameni  looked  pleased  at  the  vehement  boy,  and 
would  willingly  have  shaken  him  by  the  hand  and 
stroked  his  curly  head,  but  the  penance  he  proposed 
for  Rameri  was  to  serve  a  great  end,  and  Ameni  would 
not  allow  any  overflow  of  emotion  to  hinder  him  in  the 
execution  of  a  well  considered  design.  So  he  answered 
the  prince  with  grave  determination: 

"I  must  and  will  punish  you — and  I  do  so  by 
requesting  you  to  leave  the  House  of  Seti  this  very 
day." 

The  prince  turned  pale.  But  Ameni  went  on  more 
kindly : 


UARDA. 


331 


"  I  do  not  expel  you  with  ignominy  from  among  us 
— I  only  bid  you  a  friendly  farewell.  In  a  few  weeks 
you  would  in  any  case  have  left  the  college,  and  by 
the  king's  command  have  transferred  your  blooming 
life,  health,  and  strength  to  the  exercising  ground  of  the 
chariot-brigade.  No  punishment  for  you  but  this  lies 
in  my  power.  Now  give  me  your  hand;  you  will  make 
a  fine  man,  and  perhaps  a  great  warrior." 

The  prince  stood  in  astonishment  before  Ameni, 
and  did  not  take  his  offered  hand.  Then  the  priest 
went  up  to  him,  and  said: 

"You  said  you  were  ready  to  take  the  consequences 
of  your  folly,  and  a  prince's  word  must  be  kept.  Be- 
fore sunset  we  will  conduct  you  to  the  gate  of  the 
temple." 

Ameni  turned  his  back  on  the  boys,  and  left  the 
school-court. 

Rameri  looked  after  him.  Utter  whiteness  had 
overspread  his  blooming  face,  and  the  blood  had  left 
even  his  lips.  None  of  his  companions  approached 
him,  for  each  felt  that  what  was  passing  in  his  soul 
at  this  moment  would  brook  no  careless  intrusion.  No 
one  spoke  a  word;  they  all  looked  at  him. 

He  soon  observed  this,  and  tried  to  collect  himself, 
and  then  he  said  in  a  low  tone  while  he  held  out  his 
hands  to  Anana  and  another  friend: 

"Am  I  then  so  bad  that  I  must  be  driven  out  from 
among  you  all  like  this — that  such  a  blow  must  be  in- 
flicted on  my  father?" 

"You  refused  Ameni  your  hand !"  answered  Anana. 
"  Go  to  him,  offer  him  your  hand,  beg  him  to  be  less 
severe,  and  perhaps  he  will  let  you  remain." 

Rameri  answered  only  "  No."    But  that  "  No  "  was  so 


332  UARDA. 

decided  that  all  who  knew  him  understood  that  it  was 
final. 

Before  the  sun  set  he  had  left  the  school.  Ameni 
gave  him  his  blessing;  he  told  him  that  if  he  himself 
ever  had  to  command  he  would  understand  his  severity, 
and  allowed  the  other  scholars  to  accompany  him  as  far 
as  the  Nile.  Pentaur  parted  from  him  tenderly  at  the 
gate. 

AVhen  Rameri  was  alone  in  the  cabin  -of  his  gilt 
bark  with  his  tutor,  he  felt  his  eyes  swimming  in  tears. 

"Your  highness  is  surely  not  weeping?"  asked  the 
official. 

"  Why  ?"  asked  the  prince  sharply. 

"I  thought  I  saw  tears  on  your  highness'  cheeks." 

"Tears  of  joy  that  I  am  out  of  the  trap,"  cried 
Rameri;  he  sprang  on  shore,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
was  with  his  sister  in  the  palace. 


END   OF   VOL.    I. 


GEORG  EBERS 


UARDA 


THE  HISTORICAL  ROMANCES  OF 
GEORG  EBERS 


UARDA 

A  ROMANCE  OF  ANCIENT  EGYPT 
VOLUME  TWO 


Translated  from  the  German  by 
Clara  Bell 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
New  York  and  London 


COPYRIGHT,  1881, 
BY  WILLIAM  S.  GOTTSBERGER, 


Authorized  Edition, 


U   A   R   D   A  , 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THIS  eventful  day  had  brought  much  that  was  un- 
expected to  our  friends  in  Thebes,  as  well  as  to  those 
who  lived  in  the  Necropolis. 

The  Lady  Katuti  had  risen  early  after  a  sleepless 
night.  Nefert  had  come  in  late,  had  excused  her  delay 
by  shortly  explaining  to  her  mother  that  she  had  been 
detained  by  Bent-Anat,  and  had  then  affectionately 
offered  her  brow  for  a  kiss  of  "  good-night." 

When  the  widow  was  about  to  withdraw  to  her 
sleeping-room,  and  Nemu  had  lighted  her  lamp,  she 
remembered  the  secret  which  was  to  deliver  Paaker 
into  Ani's  hands.  She  ordered  the  dwarf  to  impart  to 
her  what  he  knew,  and  the  little  man  told  her  at  last, 
after  sincere  efforts  at  resistance — for  he  feared  for  his 
mother's  safety — that  Paaker  had  administered  half  of 
a  love-philter  to  Nefert,  and  that  the  remainder  was  still 
in  his  hands. 

A  few  hours  since  this  information  would  have  filled 
Katuti  with  indignation  and  disgust ;  now,  though  she 
blamed  the  Mohar,  she  asked  eagerly  whether  such  a 
drink  could  be  proved  to  have  any  actual  effect. 

"  Not  a  doubt  of  it,"  said  the  dwarf,  "  if  the  whole 
were  taken,  but  Nefert  only  had  half  of  it." 

At  a  late  hour  Katuti  was  still  pacing  her  bedroom, 


UARDA. 

thinking  of  Paaker's  insane  devotion,  of  Mena's  faithless- 
ness, and  of  Nefert's  altered  demeanor;  and  when  she  went 
to  bed,  a  thousand  conjectures,  fears,  and  anxieties  tor- 
mented her,  while  she  was  distressed  at  the  change  which 
had  come  over  Nefert's  love  to  her  mother,  a  sentiment 
which  of  all  others  should  be  the  most  sacred,  and  the 
most  secure  against  all  shock. 

Soon  after  sunrise  she  went  into  the  little  temple  at- 
tached to  the  house,  and  made  an  offering  to  the  statue, 
which,  under  the  form  of  Osiris,  represented  her  lost  hus- 
band ;  then  she  went  to  the  temple  of  Amon,  where  she 
also  prayed  a  while,  and  nevertheless,  on  her  return  home, 
found  that  her  daughter  had  not  yet  made  her  appearance 
in  the  hall  where  they  usually  breakfasted  together. 

Katuti  preferred  to  be  undisturbed  during  the  early 
morning  hours,  and  therefore  did  not  interfere  with  her 
daughter's  disposition  to  sleep  far  into  the  day  in  her  care- 
fully-darkened room. 

When  the  widow  went  to  the  temple  Nefert  was  ac- 
customed to  take  a  cup  of  milk  in  bed,  then  she  would 
let  herself  be  dressed,  and  when  her  mother  returned, 
she  would  find  her  in  the  veranda  or  hall,  which  is  so 
well  known  to  the  reader. 

To-day  however  Katuti  had  to  breakfast  alone ;  but 
when  she  had  eaten  a  few  mouthfuls  she  prepared  Nefert's 
breakfast — a  white  cake  and  a  little  wine  in  a  small  silver 
beaker,  carefully  guarded  from  dust  and  insects  by  a  nap- 
kin thrown  over  it— and  went  into  her  daughter's  room. 

She  was  startled  at  finding  it  empty,  but  she  was  in- 
formed that  Nefert  had  gone  earlier  than  was  her  wont 
to  the  temple,  in  her  litter. 

With  a  heavy  sigh  she  returned  to  the  veranda,  and 
there  received  her  nephew  Paaker,  who  had  come  to 


UARDA.  3 

enquire  after  the  health  of  his  relatives,  followed  by  a 
slave,  who  carried  two  magnificent  bunches  of  flowers,* 
and  by  the  great  dog  which  had  formerly  belonged  to 
his  father.  One  bouquet  he  said  had  been  cut  for 
Nefert,  and  the  other  for  her  mother. 

Katuti  had  taken  quite  a  new  interest  in  Paaker 
since  she  had  heard  of  his  procuring  the  philter. 

No  other  young  man  of  the  rank  to  which  they 
belonged,  would  have  allowed  himself  to  be  so  mastered 
by  his  passion  for  a  woman  as  this  Paaker  was,  who 
went  straight  to  his  aim  with  stubborn  determination, 
and  shunned  no  means  that  might  lead  to  it.  The 
pioneer,  who  had  grown  up  under  her  eyes,  whose 
weaknesses  she  knew,  and  whom  she  was  accustomed 
to  look  down  upon,  suddenly  appeared  to  her  as  a  dif- 
ferent man — almost  a  stranger — as  the  deliverer  of  his 
friends,  and  the  merciless  antagonist  of  his  enemies. 

These  reflections  had  passed  rapidly  through  her 
mind.  Now  her  eyes  rested  on  the  sturdy,  strongly- 
knit  figure  of  her  nephew,  and  it  struck  her  that  he 
bore  no  resemblance  to  his  tall,  handsome  father.  Often 
had  she  admired  her  brother-in-law's  slender  hand,  that 
nevertheless  could  so  effectually  wield  a  sword,  but  that 
of  his  son  was  broad  and  ignoble  in  form. 

While  Paaker  was  telling  her  that  he  must  shortly 
leave  for  Syria,  she  involuntarily  observed  the  action  of 
this  hand,  which  often  went  cautiously  to  his  girdle  as 
if  he  had  something  concealed  there;  this  was  the  oval 
phial  with  the  rest  of  the  philter.  Katuti  observed  it, 
and  her  cheeks  flushed  when  it  occurred  to  her  to  guess 
what  he  had  there. 

*  Pictures  on  the  monuments  show  thnt  in  ancient  Fgypt,  as  at  the  present 
time,  bouquets  of  flowers  were  bestowed  as  tokens  of  friendly  feeling. 


4  UARDA. 

The  pioneer  could  not  but  observe  Katuti's  agita- 
tion, and  he  said  in  a  tone  of  sympathy : 

"I  perceive  that  you  are  in  pain,  or  in  trouble. 
The  master  of  Mena's  stud  at  Hermonthis  has  no  doubt 
been  with  you — No  ?  He  came  to  me  yesterday,  and 
asked  me  to  allow  him  to  join  my  troops.  He  is  very 
angry  with  you,  because  he  has  been  obliged  to  sell 
some  of  Mena's  ^gold-bays.  I  have  bought  the  finest  of 
them.  They  are  splendid  creatures!  Now  he  wants 
to  go  to  his  master  '  to  open  his  eyes,'  as  he  says.  Lie 
down  a  little  while,  aunt,  you  are  very  pale." 

Katuti  did  not  follow  this  prescription;  on  the  con- 
trary she  smiled,  and  said  in  a  voice  half  of  anger  and 
half  of  pity : 

"The  old  fool  firmly  believes  that  the  weal  or  woe 
of  the  family  depends  on  the  gold-bays.  He  would 
like  to  go  with  you?  To  open  Mena's  eyes?  No  one 
has  yet  tried  to  bind  them!" 

Katuti  spoke  the  last  words  in  a  low  tone,  and 
her  glance  fell.  Paaker  also  looked  down,  and  was 
silent;  but  he  soon  recovered  his  presence  of  mind, 
and  said: 

"If  Nefert  is  to  be  long  absent,  I  will  go." 

"No — no,  stay,"  cried  the  widow.  "She  wished  to 
see  you,  and  must  soon  come  in.  There  are  her  cake 
and  her  wine  waiting  for  her." 

With  these  words  she  took  the  napkin  off  the 
breakfast-table,  held  up  the  beaker  in  her  hand,  and 
then  said,  with  the  cloth  still  in  her  hand: 

"  I  will  leave  you  a  moment,  and  see  if  Nefert  is 
not  yet  come  home." 

Hardly  had  she  left  the  veranda  when  Paaker, 
having  convinced  himself  that  no  one  could  see  him, 


UARDA,,  5 

snatched  the  flask  from  his  girdle,  and,  with  a  short 
invocation  to  his  father  in  Osiris,  poured  its  whole  con- 
tents into  the  beaker,  which  thus  was  rilled  to  the  very 
brim.  A  few  minutes  later  Nefert  and  her  mother 
entered  the  hall. 

Paaker  took  up  the  nosegay,  which  his  slave  had 
laid  down  on  a  seat,  and  timidly  approached  the  young 
woman,  who  walked  in  with  such  an  aspect  of  decision 
and  self-confidence,  that  her  mother  looked  at  her  in 
astonishment,  while  Paaker  felt  as  if  she  had  never 
before  appeared  so  beautiful  and  brilliant.  Was  it 
possible  that  she  should  love  her  husband,  when  his 
breach  of  faith  troubled  her  so  little  ?  Did  her  heart 
still  belong  to  another  ?  Or  had  the  love-philter 
set  him  in  the  place  of  Mena  ?  Yes !  yes !  for  how 
warmly  she  greeted  him.  She  put  out  her  hand  to 
him  while  he  was  still  quite  far  off,  let  it  rest  in  his, 
thanked  him  with  feeling,  and  praised  his  fidelity  and 
generosity. 

Then  she  went  up  to  the  table,  begged  Paaker  to 
sit  down  with  her,  broke  her  cake,  and  enquired  for  her 
aunt  Setchem,  Paaker's  mother. 

Katuti  and  Paaker  watched  all  her  movements  with 
beating  hearts. 

Now  she  took  up  the  beaker,  and  lifted  it  to  her 
lips,  but  set  it  down  again  to  answer  Paaker's  remark 
that  she  was  breakfasting  late. 

"  I  have  hitherto  been  a  real  lazy-bones,"  she  said 
with  a  blush.  "  But  this  morning  1  got  up  early,  to  go 
and  pray  in  the  temple  in  the  fresh  dawn.  You  know 
what  has  happened  to  the  sacred  ram  of  Amon.  It  is 
a  frightful  occurrence.  The  priests  were  all  in  the 
greatest  agitation,  but  the  venerable  Bek  el  Chunsu 


0  UARDA. 

received  me  himself,  and  interpreted  my  dream,  and 
now  my  spirit  is  light  and  contented." 

"  And  you  did  all  this  without  me  ?"  said  Katuti  in 
gentle  reproof. 

"  I  would  not  disturb  you,"  replied  Nefert. 

"  Besides,"  she  added  coloring,  "  you  never  take 
me  to  the  city  and  the  temple  in  the  morning." 

Again  she  took  up  the  wine-cup  and  looked  into  it, 
but  without  drinking  any,  went  on: 

"  Would  you  like  to  hear  what  I  dreamed,  Paaker  ? 
It  was  a  strange  vision." 

The  pioneer  could  hardly  breathe  for  expectation, 
still  he  begged  her  to  tell  her  dream. 

"  Only  think,"  said  Nefert,  pushing  the  beaker  on 
the  smooth  table,  which  was  wet  with  a  few  drops 
which  she  had  spilt,  "  I  dreamed  of  the  Neha-tree,* 
down  there  in  the  great  tub,  which  your  father  brought 
me  from  Punt,  when  I  was  a  little  child,  and  which 
since  then  has  grown  quite  a  tall  tree.  There  is  no 
tree  in  the  garden  I  love  so  much,  for  it  always  re- 
minds me  of  your  father,  who  was  so  kind  to  me,  and 
whom  I  can  never  forget !" 

Paaker  bowed  assent. 

Nefert  looked  at  him,  and  interrupted  her  story 
when  she  observed  his  crimson  cheeks. 

"  It  is  very  hot !  Would  you  like  some  wine  to  drink 
— or  some  water  ?" 

With  these  words  she  raised  the  wine-cup,  and 
drank  about  half  of  the  contents ;  then  she  shuddered, 
and  while  her  pretty  face  took  a  comical  expression, 

*  The  Neha-tree  yielded  the  resinous  berries  called  Anta,  which  were 
hisrhly  valued  for  incense.  It  is  probably  Balsamodendron  Myrrhcea,  and  allied 
to  the  tree  which  produces  the  balm  of  Gilead. 


UARDA.  7 

she  turned  to  her  mother,  who  was  seated  behind  her 
and  held  the  beaker  towards  her. 

"  The  wine  is  quite  sour  to-day  !"  she  said.  "  Taste 
it,  mother." 

Katuti  took  the  little  silver-cup  in  her  hand,  and 
gravely  put  it  to  her  lips,  but  without  wetting  them. 
A  smile  passed  over  her  face,  and  her  eyes '  met  those 
of  the  pioneer,  who  stared  at  her  in  horror.  The 
picture  flashed  before  her  mind  of  herself  languishing 
for  the  pioneer,  and  of  his  terror  at  her  affection 
for  him !  Her  selfish  and  intriguing  spirit  was  free 
from  coarseness,  and  yet  she  could  have  laughed  with 
all  her  heart  even  while  engaged  in  the  most  shameful 
deed  of  her  whole  life.  She  gave  the  wine  back  to 
her  daughter,  saying  good-humoredly — 

"  I  have  tasted  sweeter,  but  acid  is  refreshing  in  this 
heat." 

"That  is  true,"  said  the  wife  of  Mena;  she  emptied 
the  cup  to  the  bottom,  and  then  went  on,  as  if  refreshed  : 

"  But  I  will  tell  you  the  rest  of  my  dream.  I  saw 
the  Neha-tree,  which  your  father  gave  me,  quite  plainly ; 
nay  I  could  have  declared  that  I  smelt  its  perfume,  but 
the  interpreter  assured  me  that  we  never  smell  in  our 
dreams.  I  went  up  to  the  beautiful  tree  in  admiration. 
Then  suddenly  a  hundred  axes  appeared  in  the  air, 
wielded  by  unseen  hands,  and  struck  the  poor  tree 
Avith  such  violence  that  the  branches  one  by  one  fell 
to  the  ground,  and  at  last  the  trunk  itself  was  felled. 
If  you  think  it  grieved  me  you  are  mistaken.  On  the 
contrary,  I  was  delighted  with  the  flashing  hatchets 
and  the  flying  splinters.  When  at  last  nothing  was  left 
but  the  roots  in  the  tub  of  earth,  I  perceived  that  the 
tree  was  rising  to  new  life.  Suddenly  my  arms  be 


8  UARDA. 

came  strong,  my  feet  active,  and  I  fetched  quantities 
of  water  from  the  tank,  poured  it  over  the  roots,  and 
when,  at  last,  I  could  exert  myself  no  longer,  a  tender 
green  shoot  showed  itself  on  the  wounded  root,  a  bud 
appeared,  a  green  leaf  unfolded  itself,  a  juicy  stem 
sprouted  quickly,  it  became  a  firm  trunk,  sent  out 
branches  and  twigs,  and  these  became  covered  with 
leaves  and  flowers,  white,  red  and  blue ;  then  various 
birds  came  and  settled  on  the  top  of  the  tree,  and 
sang.  Ah !  my  heart  sang  louder  than  the  birds  at 
that  moment,  and  I  said  to  myself  that  without  me  the 
tree  would  have  been  dead,  and  that  it  owed  its  life 
to  me." 

"A  beautiful  dream,"  said  Katuti;  "that  reminds 
me  of  your  girlhood,  when  you  would  lie  awake  half 
the  night  inventing  all  sorts  of  tales.  What  interpreta- 
tion did  the  priest  give  you  ?" 

"  He  promised  me  many  things,"  said  Nefert,  "  and 
he  gave  me  the  assurance  that  the  happiness  to  which 
I  am  predestined  shall  revive  in  fresh  beauty  after 
many  interruptions." 

"  And  Paaker's  father  gave  you  the  Neha-tree  ?" 
asked  Katuti,  leaving  the  veranda  as  she  spoke  and 
walking  out  into  the  garden. 

"  My  father  brought  it  to  Thebes  from  the  far 
east,"  said  Paaker,  in  confirmation  of  the  widow's  part- 
ing words. 

"  And  that  is  exactly  what  makes  me  so  happy," 
said  Nefert.  "  For  your  father  was  as  kind,  and  as 
dear  to  me  as  if  he  had  been  my  own.  Do  you 
remember  when  we  were  sailing  round  the  pond,  and 
the  boat  upset,  and  you  pulled  me  senseless  out  of 
the  water  ?  Never  shall  I  forget  the  expression  with 


UARDA.  9 

which  the  great  man  looked  at  me  when  I  woke  up  in 
his  arms;  such  wise  true  eyes  no  one  ever  had  but  he." 

"  He  was  good,  and  he  loved  you  very  much,"  said 
Paaker,  recalling,  for  his  part,  the  moment  when  he 
had  dared  to  press  a  kiss  on  the  lips  of  the  sweet 
unconscious  child. 

"And  I  am  so  glad,"  Nefert  went  on,  "that  the 
day  has  come  at  last  when  we  can  talk  of  him  together 
again,  and  when  the  old  grudge  that  lay  so  heavy 
on  my  heart  is  all  forgotten.  How  good  you  are  to 
us,  I  have  already  learned;  my  heart  overflows  with 
gratitude  to  you,  when  I  remember  my  childhood,  and  I 
can  never  forget  that  I  was  indebted  to  you  for  all 
that  was  bright  and  happy  in  it.  Only  look  at  the 
big  dog — poor  Descher! — how  he  rubs  against  me,  and 
shows  that  he  has  not  forgotten  me!  Whatever  comes 
from  your  house  fills  my  mind  with  pleasant  mem- 
ories." 

"We  all  love  you  dearly,"  said  Paaker  looking  at 
her  tenderly. 

"And  how  sweet  it  was  in  your  garden!"  cried 
Nefert.  "The  nosegay  here  that  you  have  brought  me 
shall  be  placed  in  water,  and  preserved  a  long  time,  as 
a  greeting  from  the  place  in  which  once  I  could  play 
so  carelessly,  and  dream  so  happily." 

With  these  words  she  pressed  the  flowers  to  her 
lips;  Paaker  sprang  forward,  seized  her  hand,  and 
covered  it  with  burning  kisses. 

Nefert  started  and  drew  away  her  hand,  but  he 
t)Ut  out  his  arm  to  clasp  her  to  him.  He  had  touched 
her  with  his  trembling  hand,  when  loud  voices  were 
heard  in  the  garden,  and  Nemu  hurried  in  to  announce 
the  arrival  of  the  princess  Bent-Anat. 
23 


IO  UARDA. 

At  the  same  moment  Katuti  appeared,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  princess  herself. 

Paaker  retreated,  and  quitted  the  room  before 
Nefert  had  time  to  express  her  indignation.  He  stag- 
gered to  his  chariot  like  a  drunken  man.  He  supposed 
himself  beloved  by  Mena's  wife,  his  heart  was  full 
of  triumph,  he  proposed  rewarding  Hekt  with  gold, 
and  went  to  the  palace  without  delay  to  crave  of  Ani 
a  mission  to  Syria.  There  it  should  be  brought  to  the 
test — he  or  Mena. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

WHILE  Nefert,  frozen  with  horror,  could  not  find  a 
word  of  greeting  for  her  royal  friend,  Bent-Anat  with 
native  dignity  laid  before  the  widow  her  choice  of 
Nefert  to  fill  the  place  of  her  lost  companion,  and  desired 
that  Mena's  wife  should  go  to  the  palace  that  very  day. 

She  had  never  before  spoken  thus  to  Katuti,  and 
Katuti  could  not  overlook  the  fact  that  Bent-Anat  had 
intentionally  given  up  her  old  confidential  tone. 

"Nefert  has  complained  of  me  to  her,"  thought 
she  to  herself,  "and  she  considers  me  no  longer  worthy 
of  her  former  friendly  kindness." 

She  was  vexed  and  hurt,  and  though  she  under- 
stood the  danger  which  threatened  her,  now  her  daugh- 
ter's eyes  were  opened,  still  the  thought  of  losing  her 
child  inflicted  a  painful  wound.  It  was  this  which 
filled  her  eyes  with  tears,  and  sincere  sorrow  trembled 
in  her  voice  as  she  replied : 

"Thou  hast  required  the  better  half  of  my  life  at 
my  hand;  but  thou  hast  but  to  command,  and  I  to  obey." 

Bent-Anat  waved  her  hand  proudly,  as  if  to  confirm 


UARDA.  1 1 

the  widow's  statement;  but  Nefert  went  up  to  her 
mother,  threw  her  arms  round  her  neck,  and  wept 
upon  her  shoulder. 

Tears  glistened  even  in  the  princess's  eyes  when 
Katuti  at  last  led  her  daughter  towards  her,  and 
pressed  yet  one  more  kiss  on  her  forehead. 

Bent-Anat  took  Nefert's  hand,  and  did  not  release 
it,  while  she  requested  the  widow  to  give  her  daugh- 
ter's dresses  and  ornaments  into  the  charge  of  the 
slaves  and  waiting- women  whom  she  would  send  for  them. 

"And  do  not  forget  the  case  with  the  dried 
flowers,  and  my  amulets,  and  the  images  of  the  Gods," 
said  Nefert.  "And  I  should  like  to  have  the  Neha- 
tree  which  my  uncle  gave  me." 

Her  white  cat  was  playing  at  her  feet  with  Paaker's 
flowers,  which  she  had  dropped  on  the  floor,  and  when 
she  saw  her  she  took  her  up  and  kissed  her. 

"  Bring  the  little  creature  with  you,"  said  Bent-Anat. 
"It  was  your  favorite  plaything." 

"  No,"  replied  Nefert  coloring. 

The  princess  understood  her,  "pressed  her  hand, 
and  said  while  she  pointed  to  Nemu: 

"The  dwarf  is  your  own  too:  shall  he  come  with 
you?" 

"  I  will  give  him  to  my  mother,"  said  Nefert.  She 
let  the  little  man  kiss  her  robe  and  her  feet,  once 
more  embraced  Katuti,  and  quitted  the  garden  with 
her  royal  friend. 

As  soon  as  Katuti  was  alone,  she  hastened  into  the 
little  chapel  in  which  the  figures  of  her  ancestors 
stood,  apart  from  those  of  Mena.  She  threw  herself 
down  before  the  statue  of  her  husband,  half  weeping, 
half  thankful. 


12  UARDA. 

This  parting  had  indeed  fallen  heavily  on  her  soul, 
but  at  the  same  time  it  released  her  from  a  moun- 
tain of  anxiety  that  had  oppressed  her  breast.  Since 
yesterday  she  had  felt  like  one  who  walks  along  the 
edge  of  a  precipice,  and  whose  enemy  is  close  at  his 
heels;  and  the  sense  of  freedom  from  the  ever  threaten- 
ing danger,  soon  got  the  upperhand  of  her  maternal 
grief.  The  abyss  in  front  of  her  had  suddenly  closed; 
the  road  to  the  goal  of  her  efforts  lay  before  her 
smooth  and  firm  beneath  her  feet. 

The  widow,  usually  so  dignified,  hastily  and  eagerly 
walked  down  the  garden  path,  and  for  the  first  time 
since  that  luckless  letter  from  the  camp  had  reached 
her,  she  could  look  calmly  and  clearly  at  the  position 
of  affairs,  and  reflect  on  the  measures  which  Ani  must 
take  in  the  immediate  future.  She  told  herself  that  all 
was  well,  and  that  the  time  for  prompt  and  rapid  ac- 
tion was  now  come. 

When  the  messengers  came  from  the  princess  she 
superintended  the  packing  of  the  various  objects  which 
Nefert  wished  to*  have,  with  calm  deliberation,  and 
then  sent  her  dwarf  to  Ani,  to  beg  that  he  would  visit 
her.  But  before  Nemu  had  left  Mena's  grounds  he 
saw  the  out-runners  of  the  Regent,  his  chariot,  and  the 
troop  of  guards  following  him. 

Very  soon  Katuti  and  her  noble  friend  were  walk- 
ing up  and  down  in  the  garden,  while  she  related  to 
him  how  Bent-Anat  had  taken  Nefert  from  her,  and 
repeated  to  him  all  that  she  had  planned  and  con- 
sidered during  the  last  hour. 

"  You  have  the  genius  of  a  man,"  said  Ani;  "  and  this 
time  you  do  not  urge  me  in  vain.  Ameni  is  ready  to 
act,  Paaker  is  to-day  collecting  his  troops,  to-morrow 


UARDA.  13 

he  will  assist  at  the  feast  of  the  Valley,  and  the  next 
day  he  goes  to  Syria." 

"  He  has  been  with  you  ?"  Katuti  asked. 

"  He  came  to  the  palace  on  leaving  your  house," 
replied  Ani,  "with  glowing  cheeks,  and  resolved  to 
(he  utmost;  though  he  does  not  dream  that  I  hold 
'him  in  my  hand." 

Thus  speaking  they  entered  the  veranda,  in  which 
Nemu  had  remained,  and  he  now  hid  himself  as  usual 
behind  the  ornamental  shrubs  to  overhear  them.  They 
sat  down  near  each  other,  by  Nefert's  breakfast  table, 
and  Ani  asked  Katuti  whether  the  dwarf  had  told  her 
his  mother's  secret.  Katuti  feigned  ignorance,  listened 
to  the  story  of  the  love-philter,  and  played  the  part  of 
the  alarmed  mother  very  cleverly.  The  Regent  was  of 
opinion,  while  he  tried  to  soothe  her,  that  there  was 
no  real  love-potion  in  the  case;  but  the  widow  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Now  I  understand,  now  for  the  first  time  I  com- 
prehend my  daughter.  Paaker  must  have  poured  the 
drink  into  her  wine,  for  she  had  no  sooner  drunk  it 
thi?  morning  than  she  was  quite  altered — her  words  to 
Paaker  had  quite  a  tender  ring  in  them ;  and  if  he 
placed  himself  so  cheerfully  at  your  disposal  it  is  be- 
cause he  believes  himself  certainly  to  be  beloved  by 
my  daughter.  The  old  witch's  potion  was  effectual." 

"  There  certainly  are  such  drinks — "  said  Ani 
thoughtfully.  "  But  will  they  only  win  hearts  to  young 
men !  If  that  is  the  case,  the  old  woman's  trade  is  a 
bad  one,  for  youth  is  in  itself  a  charm  to  attract  love. 
If  I  were  only  as  young  as  Paaker !  You  laugh  at  the 
sighs  of  a  man — say  at  once  of  an  old  man  !  Well,  yes, 
I  am  old,  for  the  prime  of  life  lies  behind  me.  And 


14  UARDA. 

yet  Katuti,  my  friend,  wisest  of  women — explain  to 
me  one  thing.  When  I  was  young  I  was  loved  by 
many  and  admired  many  women,  but  not  one  of  them 
— not  even  my  wife,  who  died  young,  was  more  to  me 
than  a  toy,  a  plaything;  and  now  when  I  stretch  out 
my  hand  for  a  girl,  whose  father  I  might  very  well  be 
—not  for  her  own  sake,  but  simply  to  serve  my  pur- 
pose— and  she  refuses  me,  I  feel  as  much  disturbed,  as 
much  a  fool  as — as  that  dealer  in  love-philters,  Paaker." 

"  Have  you  spoken  to  Bent-Anat?"  asked  Katuti. 

"And  heard  again  from  her  own  lips  the  refusal 
she  had  sent  me  through  you.  You  see  my  spirit  has 
suffered !" 

"  And  on  what  pretext  did  she  reject  your  suit  ?" 
asked  the  widow. 

"Pretext!"  cried  Ani.  "Bent-Anat  and  pretext!  It 
must  be  owned  that  she  has  kingly  pride,  and  not  Ma* 
herself  is  more  truthful  than  she.  That  I  should  have 
to  confess  it !  When  I  think  of  her,  our  plots  seem  to 
me  unutterably  pitiful.  My  veins  contain,  indeed,  many 
drops  of  the  blood  of  Thotmes,  and  though  the  ex- 
perience of  life  has  taught  me  to  stoop  low,  still  the 
stooping  hurts  me.  I  have  never  known  the  happy 
feeling  of  satisfaction  with  my  lot  and  my  work ;  for  I 
have  always  had  a  greater  position  than  I  could  fill, 
and  constantly  done  less  than  I  ought  to  have  done.  In 
order  not  to  look  always  resentful,  I  always  wear  a 
smile.  I  have  nothing  left  of  the  face  I  was  born  with 
but  the  mere  skin,  and  always  wear  a  mask.  I  serve 
him  whose  master  I  believe  I  ought  to  be  by  birth ;  I 
hate  Rameses,  who,  sincerely  or  no,  calls  me  his 
brother ;  and  while  I  stand  as  if  I  were  the  bulwark  of 

*  The  Goddess  of  Truth. 


UARDA.  15 

his  authority  I  am  diligently  undermining  it.  My  whole 
existence  is  a  lie." 

"  But  it  will  be  truth,"  cried  Katuti,  "  as  soon  as 
the  Gods  allow  you  to  be-^as  you  are — the  real  king 
of  this  country." 

"  Strange !"  said  Ani  smiling,  "  Ameni,  this  very 
day,  used  almost  exactly  the  same  words.  The  wis- 
dom of  priests,  and  that  of  women,  have  much  in  com- 
mon, and  they  fight  with  the  same  weapons.  You 
use  words  instead  of  swords,  traps  instead  of  lances, 
and  you  cast  not  our  bodies,  but  our  souls,  into  irons." 

"  Do  you  blame  or  praise  us  for  it  ?"  said  the 
widow.  "  We  are  in  any  case  not  impotent  allies,  and 
therefore,  it  seems  to  me,  desirable  ones." 

"  Indeed  you  are,"  said  Ani  smiling.  "  Not  a  tear 
is  shed  in  the  land,  whether  it  is  shed  for  joy  or  for 
sorrow,  for  which  in  the  first  instance  a  priest  or  a  wo- 
man is  not  responsible.  Seriously,  Katuti — in  nine 
great  events  out  of  ten  you  women  have  a  hand  in  the 
game.  You  gave  the  first  impulse  to  all  that  is  plot- 
ting here,  and  I  will  confess  to  you  that,  regardless  of 
all  consequences,  I  should  in  a  few  hours  have  given 
up  my  pretensions  to  the  throne,  if  that  woman  Bent- 
Anat  had  said  '  yes  '  instead  of  '  no.'  " 

"  You  make  me  believe,"  said  Katuti.  "  that  the 
weaker  sex  are  gifted  with  stronger  wills  than  the 
nobler.  In  marrying  us  you  style  us,  '  the  mistress  of 
the  house,'  and  if  the  elders  of  the  citizens  grow  in- 
firm, in  this  country  it  is  not  the  sons  but  the  daughters 
that  must  be  their  mainstay.  But  we  women  have  our 
weaknesses,  and  chief  of  these  is  curiosity. — May  I  ask 
on  what  ground  Bent-Anat  dismissed  you  ?" 

"You  know   so  much  that   you   may  know    all," 


1 6  UARDA. 

replied  Ani.  "  She  admitted  me  to  speak  to  her  alone. 
It  was  yet  early,  and  she  had  come  from  the  temple, 
where  the  weak  old  prophet  had  absolved  her  from 
uncleanness ;  she  met  me,  bright,  beautiful  and  proud, 
strong  and  radiant  as  a  Goddess,  and  a  princess.  My 
heart  throbbed  as  if  I  were  a  boy,  and  while  she  was 
showing  me  her  flowers  I  said  to  myself:  'You  are 
come  to  obtain  through  her  another  claim  to  the 
throne.'  And  yet  I  felt  that,  if  she  consented  to  be 
mine,  I  would  remain  the  true  brother,  the  faithful 
Regent  of  Rameses,  and  enjoy  happiness  and  peace 
by  her  side  before  it  was  too  late.  If  she  refused  me 
then  I  resolved  that  fate  must  take  its  way,  and,  in- 
stead of  peace  and  love,  it  must  be  war  for  the  crown 
snatched  from  my  fathers.  I  tried  to  woo  her,  but  she 
cut  my  words  short,  said  I  was  a  noble  man,  arid  a 
worthy  suitor  but — " 

"There  came  the  but." 

"  Yes — in  the  form  of  a  very  frank  'no.'  I  asked 
her  reasons.  She  begged  me  to  be  content  with  the 
'no;'  then  I  pressed  her  harder,  till  she  interrupted  me, 
and  owned  with  proud  decision  that  she  preferred 
some  one  else.  I  wished  to  learn  the  name  of  the 
happy  man — that  she  refused.  Then  my  blood  began 
to  boil,  and  my  desire  to  win  her  increased ;  but  I  had 
to  leave  her,  rejected,  and  with  a  fresh,  burning,  poi- 
soned wound  in  my  heart." 

"  You  are  jealous  !"  said  Ivatuti,  "  and  do  you  know 
of  whom  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Ani.  "  But  I  hope  to  find  out  through 
you.  What  I  feel  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  express. 
But  one  thing  I  know,  and  that  is  this,  that  I  entered 
the  palace  a  vacillating  man — that  I  left  it  firmly  re- 


UARDA.  17 

solved.  I  now  rush  straight  onwards,  never  again  to 
turn  back.  From  this  time  forward  you  will  no  longer 
have  to  drive  me  onward,  but  rather  to  hold  me  back ; 
and,  as  if  the  Gods  had  meant  to  show  that  they 
would  stand  by  me,  I  found  the  high-priest  Ameni, 
and  the  chief  pioneer  Paaker  waiting  for  me  in  my 
house.  Ameni  will  act  for  me  in  Egypt,  Paaker  in 
Syria.  My  victorious  troops  from  Ethiopia  will  enter 
Thebes  to-morrow  morning,  on  their  return  home  in 
triumph,  as  if  the  king  were  at  their  head,  and  will 
then  take  part  in  the  Feast  of  the  Valley.  Later  we 
will  send  them  into  the  north,  and  post  them  in  the  for- 
tresses which  protect  Egypt*against  enemies  coming  from 
the  east — Tanis,  Daphne,  Pelusium,  Migdol.  Rameses, 
as  you  know,  requires  that  we  should  drill  the  serfs  of 
the  temples,  and  send  them  to  him  as  auxiliaries.  I 
will  send  him  half  of  the  body-guard,  the  other  half 
shall  serve  my  own  purposes.  The  garrison  of  Memphis, 
which  is  devoted  to  Rameses,  shall  be  sent  to  Nubia, 
and  shall  be  relieved  by  troops  that  are  faithful  to  me. 
The  people  of  Thebes  are  led  by  the  priests,  and  to- 
morrow Ameni  will  point  out  to  them  who  is  their 
legitimate  king,  who  will  put  an  end  to  the  war  and 
release  them  from  taxes.  The  children  of  Rameses 
will  be  excluded  from  the  solemnities,  for  Ameni,  in 
spite  of  the  chief-priest  of  Amon,  still  pronounces  Bent- 
Anat  unclean.  Young  Rameri  has  been  doing  wrong 
and  Ameni,  who  has  some  other  great  scheme  in  his 
mind,  has  forbidden  him  the  temple  of  Seti ;  that  will 
work  on  the  crowd !  You  know  how  things  are  going 


>•'  I  have  treated  of  the  line  of  fortresses  which  protected  Egypt  from  the 
incursions  of  the  Asiatic  tribes  on  the  east  in  "  Egypten  und  die  Biicher  Mose." 
Vol.  II.  p.  78. 


1 8  UARDA. 

on  in  Syria :  Rameses  has  suffered  much  at  tlie  hands 
of  the  Cheta  and  their  allies ;  whole  legions  are  weary 
of  eternally  lying  in  the  field,  and  if  things  came  to 
extremities  would  join  us ;  but,  perhaps,  especially  if 
Paaker  acquits  himself  well,  we  may  be  victorious 
without  fighting.  Above  all  things  now  we  must  act 
rapidly." 

"  I  no  longer  recognize  the  timid,  cautious  lover  of 
delay !"  exclaimed  Katuti. 

"  Because  now  prudent  hesitation  would  be  want  of 
prudence,"  said  Ani. 

"  And  if  the  king  should  get  timely  information  as 
to  what  is  happening  here  ?"  said  Katuti. 

"  I  said  so  !"  exclaimed  Ani ;  "  we  are  exchanging 
parts." 

"You  are  mistaken,"  said  Katuti.  "  I  also  am  foi 
pressing  forwards ;  but  I  would  remind  you  of  a  neces- 
sary precaution.  No  letters  but  yours  must  reach  the 
camp  for  the  next  few  weeks." 

"  Once  more  you  and  the  priests  are  of  one  mind," 
said  Ani  laughing;  "for  Aineni  gave  me  the  same 
counsel.  Whatever  letters  are  sent  across  the  frontiei 
between  Pelusium  and  the  Red  Sea  will  be  detained. 
Only  my  letters — in  which  I  complain  of  the  piratical 
sons  of  the  desert  who  fall  upon  the  messengers — will 
reach  the  king." 

"  That  is  wise,"  said  the  widow ;  "  let  the  seaports 
of  the  Red  Sea  be  watched  too,  and  the  public  writers. 
When  you  are  king,  you  can  distinguish  those  who  are 
affected  for  or  against  you." 

Ani  shook  his  head  and  replied — 

"  That  would  put  me  in  a  difficult  position ;  for  it 
I  were  to  uunish  those  who  are  now  faithful  to  their 


UARDA.  19 

king,  and  exalt  the  others,  I  should  have  to  govern 
with  unfaithful  servants,  and  turn  away  the  faithful 
ones.  You  need  not  color,  my  kind  friend,  for  we 
are  kin,  and  my  concerns  are  yours." 

Katuti  took  the  hand  he  offered  her  and  said : 

"  It  is  so.  And  I  ask  no  further  reward  than  to 
see  my  father's  house  once  more  in  the  enjoyment  of 
its  rights." 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  achieve  it,"  said  Ani ;  "  but  in  a 

short  time  if — if Reflect,  Katuti ;  try  to  find  out,  ask 

your  daughter  to  help  you  to  the  utmost.  Who  is  it 
that  she — you  know  whom  I  mean — Who  is  it  that 
Bent-Anat  loves  ?" 

The  widow  started,  for  Ani  had  spoken  the  last 
words  with  a  vehemence  very  foreign  to  his  usual 
courtliness,  but  soon  she  smiled  and  repeated  to  the 
Regent  the  names  of  the  few  young  nobles  who  had 
not  followed  the  king,  and  remained  in  Thebes.  "  Can 
it  be  Chamus  ?"  at  last  she  said,  "  he  is  at  the  camp, 
it  is  true,  but  nevertheless — " 

At  this  instant  Nemu,  who  had  not  lost  a  word 
of  the  conversation,  came  in  as  if  straight  from  the 
garden  and  said  : 

"  Pardon  me,  my  lady ;  but  I  have  heard  a  strange 
thing." 

"  Speak,"  said  Katuti. 

"The  high  and  mighty  princess  Bent-Anat,  the 
daughter  of  Rameses,  is  said  to  have  an  open  love- 
affair  with  a  young  priest  of  the  House  of  Seti." 

"  You  barefaced  scoundrel !"  exclaimed  Ani,  and  his 
eyes  sparkled  with  rage.  "  Prove  what  you  say,  or  you 
lose  your  tongue." 

"  I  am  willing;  to  lose  it  as  a  slanderer  and  traitor 


20  UARDA. 

according  to  the  law,"  said  the  little  man  abjectly,  and 
yet  with  a  malicious  laugh ;  "  but  this  time  I  shall  keep 
it,  for  I  can  vouch  for  what  I  say.  You  both  know 
that  Bent-Anat  was  pronounced  unclean  because  she 
stayed  for  an  hour  and  more  in  the  house  of  a  paraschites. 
She  had  an  assignation  there  with  the  priest.  At  a 
second,  in  the  temple  of  Hatasu,  they  were  surprised 
by  Septah,  the  chief  of  the  haruspices  of  the  House  of 
Seti." 

"  Who  is  the  priest  ?"  asked  Ani  with  apparent 
calmness. 

"  A  low-born  man,"  replied  Nemu,  "  to  whom  a  free 
education  was  given  at  the  House  of  Seti,  and  who  is 
well  known  as  a  verse-maker  and  interpreter  of  dreams. 
His  name  is  Pentaur,  and  it  certainly  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  he  is  handsome  and  dignified.  He  is  line 
for  line  the  image  of  the  pioneer  Paaker's  late  father 
— Didst  thou  ever  see  him,  my  lord  ?" 

The  Regent  looked  gloomily  at  the  floor  and  nodded 
that  he  had.  But  Katuti  cried  out ;  "  Fool  that  I  am  ! 
the  dwarf  is  right !  I  saw  how  she  blushed  when  her 
brother  told  her  how  the  boys  had  rebelled  on  his 
account  against  Ameni.  It  is  Pentaur  and  none 
other !" 

"  Good!"  said  Ani,  "we  will  see." 

With  these  words  he  took  leave  of  Katuti,  who,  as 
he  disappeared  in  the  garden,  muttered  to  herself — 

"  He  was  wonderfully  clear  and  decided  to-day ; 
but  jealousy  is  already  blinding  him  and  will  soon 
make  him  feel  that  he  cannot  get  on  without  my  sharp 
eyes." 

Nemu  had  slipped  out  after  the  Regent. 


UARDA.  21 

He  called  to  him  from  behind  a  fig-tree,  and  hastily 
whispered,  while  he  bowed  with  deep  respect: 

"  My  mother  knows  a  great  deal,  most  noble  high- 
ness? The  sacred  Ibis*  wades  through  the  fen  when 
it  goes  in  search  of  prey,  and  why  shouldst  thou  not 
stoop  to  pick  up  gold  out  of  the  dust?  I  know  how 
thou  couldst  speak  with  the  old  woman  without  being 
seen." 

"Speak,"  said  Ani. 

"Throw  her  into  prison  for  a  day,  hear  what  she 
has  to  say,  and  then  release  her — with  gifts  if  she 
is  of  service  to  you — if  not,  with  blows.  But  thou  wilt 
learn  something  important  from  her  that  she  obstinately 
refused  to  tell  me  even." 

"We  will  see!"  replied  the  Regent.  He  threw  a 
ring  of  gold  to  the  dwarf  and  got  into  his  chariot. 

So  large  a  crowd  had  collected  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  palace,  that  Ani  apprehended  mischief,  and  ordered 
his  charioteer  to  check  the  pace  of  the  horses,  and  sent 
a  few  police-soldiers  to  the  support  of  the  out-runners; 
but  good  news  seemed  to  await  him,  for  at  the  gate  of 
the  castle  he  heard  the  unmistakable  acclamations  of 
the  crowd,  and  in  the  palace  court  he  found  a  mes- 
senger from  the  temple  of  Seti,  commissioned  by  Ameni 
to  communicate  to  him  and  to  the  people,  the  occur- 
rence of  a  great  miracle,  in  that  the  heart  of  the  ram 
of  Amon,  that  had  been  torn  by  wolves,  had  been 
found  again  within  the  breast  of  the  dead  prophet 
Rui. 

*  Ibis  religiosa.  It  has  disappeared  from  Egypt.  There  were  two  varieties 
of  this  bird,  which  was  sacred  to  Toth,  and  mummies  of  both  have  been  foiind 
in  various  places.  Elian  states  that  an  immortal  Ibis  was  shown  at  Hermopolis. 
Plutarch  says,  the  Ibis  destroys  poisonous  reptiles,  and  that  priests  draw  the 
water  for  their  purifications  where  the  Ibis  has  drunk,  as  it  will  never  touch 
unwholesome  water. 


22  UARDA. 

Ani  at  once  descended  from  his  chariot,  knelt  down 
before  all  the  people,  who  followed  his  example,  lifted 
his  arms  to  heaven,  and  praised  the  Gods  in  a  loud 
voice.  When,  after  some  minutes,  he  rose  and  entered 
the  palace,  slaves  came  out  and  distributed  bread  to 
the  crowd  in  Ameni's  name. 

"  The  Regent  has  an  open  hand,"  said  a  joiner  to 
his  neighbor ;  "only  look  how  white  the  bread  is.  I 
will  put  it  in  my  pocket  and  take  it  to  the  chil- 
dren." 

"  Give  me  a  bit !"  cried  a  naked  little  scamp,  snatch- 
ing the  cake  of  bread  from  the  joiner's  hand  and 
running  away,  slipping  between  the  legs  of  the  people 
as  lithe  as  a  snake. 

"You  crocodile's  brat!"  cried  his  victim.  "  The 
insolence  of  boys  gets  worse  and  worse  every  day." 

"  They  are  hungry,"  said  the  woman  apologetically. 
"  Their  fathers  are  gone  to  the  war,  and  the  mothers 
have  nothing  for  their  children  but  papyrus-pith  and 
lotus-seeds." 

"  I  hope  they  enjoy  it,"  laughed  the  joiner.  "  Let 
us  push  to  the  left ;  there  is  a  man  with  some  more 
bread." 

"The  Regent  must  rejoice  greatly  over  the  miracle," 
said  a  shoemaker.  "  It  is  costing  him  something." 

"Nothing  like  it  has  happened  for  a  long  time," 
said  a  basket-maker.  "  And  he  is  particularly  glad  it 
should  be  precisely  Rui's  body,  which  the  sacred  heart 
should  have  blessed.  You  ask  why  ? — Hatasu  is  Ani's 
ancestress,  blockhead !" 

"And  Rui  was  prophet  of  the  temple  of  Hatasu," 
added  the  joiner. 


UARDA.  23 

"  The  priests  over  there  are  all  hangers-on  of  the 
old  royal  house,  that  I  know,"  asserted  a  baker. 

"  That's  no  secret !"  cried  the  cobbler.  "  The  old 
times  were  better  than  these  too.  The  war  upsets 
everything,  and  quite  respectable  people  go  barefoot  be- 
cause they  cannot  pay  for  shoe-leather.  Rameses  is  a 
great  warrior,  and  the  son  of  Ra,  but  what  can  he  do 
without  the  Gods ;  and  they  don't  seem  to  like  to  stay 
in  Thebes  any  longer ;  else  why  should  the  heart  of  the 
sacred  ram  seek  a  new  dwelling  in  the  Necropolis,  and 
in  the  breast  of  an  adherent  of  the  old — " 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  warned  the  basket-maker. 
"  Here  comes  one  of  the  watch." 

"  I  must  go  back  to  work,"  said  the  baker.  "  I  have 
my  hands  quite  full  for  the  feast  to-morrow." 

"  And  I  too,"  said  the  shoemaker  with  a  sigh,  "  for 
who  would  follow  the  king  of  the  Gods  through  the 
Necropolis  barefoot." 

"  You  must  earn  a  good  deal,"  cried  the  basket-maker. 

"  We  should  do  better  if  we  had  better  workmen," 
replied  the  shoemaker,  "  but  all  the  good  hands  are  gone 
to  the  war.  One  has  to  put  up  with  stupid  youngsters. 
And  as  for  the  women !  My  wife  must  needs  have  a 
new  gown  for  the  procession,  and  bought  necklets  for 
the  children.  Of  course  we  must  honor  the  dead,  and 
they  repay  it  often  by  standing  by  us  when  we  want  it — 
buc  what  I  pay  for  sacrifices  no  one  can  tell.  More  than 
half  of  what  I  earn  goes  in  them — " 

"  In  the  first  grief  of  losing  my  poor  wife,"  said  the 
baker,  "  I  promised  a  small  offering  every  new  moon, 
and  a  greater  one  every  year.  The  priests  will  not 
release  us  from  our  vows,  and  times  get  harder  and 
harder.  And  my  dead  wife  owes  me  a  grudge,  and  is 


24  UAKDA. 

as  thankless  as  she  was  in  her  lifetime-,  for  when  she 
appears  to  me  in  a  dream  she  does  not  give  me  a  good 
word,  and  often  torments  me." 

"  She  is  now  a  glorified  all-seeing  spirit,"  said  the 
basket-maker's  wife,  "  and  no  doubt  you  were  faithless 
to  her.  The  glorified  souls  know  all  that  happens,  and 
that  has  happened  on  earth." 

The  baker  cleared  his  throat,  having  no  answer 
ready ;  but  the  shoemaker  exclaimed  : 

"  By  Anubis,  the  lord  of  the  under-world,  I  hope  I 
may  die  before  my  old  woman  !  for  if  she  finds  out 
down  there  all  I  have  done  in  this  world,  and  if  she  may 
be  changed  into  any  shape  she  pleases,  she  will  come  to 
me  every  night,  and  nip  me  like  a  crab,  and  sit  on  me 
like  a  mountain." 

"And  if  you  die  first,"  said  the  woman,  "she  will  fol- 
low you  afterwards  to  the  under-world,  and  see  through 
you  there." 

"  That  will  be  less  dangerous,"  said  the  shoemaker 
laughing,  "  for  then  I  shall  be  glorified  too,  and  shall 
know  all  about  her  past  life.  That  will  not  all  be  white 
paper  either,  and  if  she  throws  a  shoe  at  me  I  will  fling 
the  last  at  her." 

"  Come  home,"  said  the  basket-maker's  wife,  pulling 
her  husband  away.  "  You  are  getting  no  good  by  hear- 
ing this  talk." 

The  bystanders  laughed,  and  the  baker  exclaimed  : 

'"  It  is  high  time  I  should  be  in  the  Necropolis  before 
it  gets  dark,  and  see  to  the  tables  being  laid  for  to-mor- 
row's festival.  My  trucks  are  close  to  the  narrow  entrance 
to  the  valley.  Send  your  little  ones  to  me,  and  I  will  give 
them  something  nice.  Are  you  coming  over  with  me?" 

"  My  younger  brother  is  gone  over  with  the  goods," 


UARDA.  25 

replied  the  shoemaker.  "  We  have  plenty  to  do  still  for 
the  customers  in  Thebes,  and  here  am  I  standing 
gossiping..  Will  the  wonderful  heart  of  the  sacred  ram 
be  exhibited  to-morrow  do  you  know  ?" 

"Of  course — no  doubt,"  said  the  baker,  "good-bye, 
there  go  rny  cases  !" 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  advanced  hour,  hundreds  of 
people  were  crossing  over  to  the  Necropolis  at  the  same 
time  as  the  baker.  They  were  permitted  to  linger  late 
on  into  the  evening,  under  the  inspection  of  the  watch, 
because  it  was  the  eve  of  the  great  feast,  and  they  had  to 
set  out  their  counters  and  awnings,  to  pitch  their  tents, 
and  to  spread  out  their  wares ;  for  as  soon  as  the  sun 
rose  next  day  all  business  traffic  would  be  stopped,  none 
but  festal  barges  might  cross  from  Thebes,  or  such  boats 
as  ferried  over  pilgrims — men,  women,  and  children, 
whether  natives  or  foreigners,  who  were  to  take  part  in 
the  great  procession. 

In  the  halls  and  work-rooms  of  the  House  of  Seti 
there  was  unusual  stir.  The  great  miracle  of  the  wonder- 
ful heart  had  left  but  a  short  time  for  the  preparations 
for  the  festival.  Here  a  chorus  was  being  practised, 
there  on  the  sacred  lake*  a  scenic  representation  was 
being  rehearsed  ;  here  the  statues  of  the  Gods  were  be- 
ing cleaned  and  dressed,**  and  the  colors  of  the  sacred 

*  Every  temple  had  its  sacred  lake  or  tank,  and  Herodotus  speaks  of  the 
representation  he  saw  at  night  on  the  sacred  lake  of  Ncith  at  Sais.  "  They  call 
them  mysteries,"  he  says,  "and  though  I  know  much  about  them  I  will  be  si- 
lent out  of  reverence."  The  myths  of  Isis,  Osiris,  and  Scth-Typhon  were  repre- 
sented. 

"*  The  Stolistes  had  the  duty  of  dressing  the  figures  of  the  Gods,  and  on 
some  of  the  reliefs  there  are  still  little  hooks  on  which  the  drapery  was  hung. 

24 


26  UARDA. 

emblems  were  being  revived,  there  the  panther-skins 
and  other  parts  of  the  ceremonial  vestments  of  the  priests 
were  being  aired  and  set  out ;  here  sceptres,  censers  and 
other  metal-vessels  were  being  cleaned,  and  there  the 
sacred  bark*  which  was  to  be  carried  in  the  procession 
was  being  decorated.  In  the  sacred  groves  of  the  tem- 
ple the  school-boys,  under  the  direction  of  the  gardeners, 
wove  garlands  and  wreaths  to  decorate  the  landing- 
places,  the  sphinxes,  the  temple,  and  the  statues  of  the 
Gods.  Flags  were  hoisted  on  the  brass-tipped  masts  in 
front  of  the  pylon,  and  purple  sails  were  spread  to  give 
shadow  to  the  court. 

The  inspector  of  sacrifices  was  already  receiving  at 
a  side-door  the  cattle,  corn  and  fruit,  offerings  which 
were  brought  as  tribute  to  the  House  of  Seti,  by  citi- 
zens from  all  parts  of  the  country,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  festival  of  the  Valley,  and  he  was  assisted  by  scribes, 
who  kept  an  account  of  all  that  was  brought  in  by  the 
able-bodied  temple-servants  and  laboring  serfs. 

Ameni  was  everywhere :  now  with  the  singers,  now 
with  the  magicians,  who  were  to  effect  wonderful  trans- 
formations before  the  astonished  multitude  ;  now  with 
the  workmen,  who  were  erecting  thrones  for  the  Regent, 
the  emissaries  from  other  collegiate  foundations** — even 
from  so  far  as  the  Delta — and  the  prophets  from  Thebes  ; 
now  with  the  priests,  who  were  preparing  the  incense, 


The  dressing  and  undressing  of  the  holy  images  was  conducted  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  a  prescribed  ritual.  The  inscriptions  in  the  seven  sanctuaries  of 
Abydos,  published  by  Mariette,  are  full  of  instruction  as  to  these  ordinances, 
which  were  significant  in  every  detail. 

*  According  to  the  representations  still  preserved  in  the  House  of  Seti  (the 
temple  of  Qurnan)  it  was  called  the  Sam-bark. 

*"  The  inscriptions  on  the  colonnade  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  House  of 
Seti  (the  temple  of  Qurnah)  prove  that  envoys  were  sent  thither  to  the  festival 
even  from  the  Delta. 


UARDA.  27 

now  with  the  servants,  who  were  trimming  the  thousand 
lamps  for  the  illumination  at  night — in  short  every- 
where; here  inciting,  there  praising.  When  he  had 
convinced  himself  that  all  was  going  on  well  he  desired 
one  of  the  priests  to  call  Pentaur. 

After  the  departure  of  the  exiled  prince  Rameri, 
the  young  priest  had  gone  to  the  work-room  of  his 
friend  Nebsecht. 

The  leech  went  uneasily  from  his  phials  to  his  cages, 
and  from  his  cages  back  to  his  flasks.  While  he  told 
Pentaur  of  the  state  he  had  found  his  room  in  on  his 
return  home,  he  wandered  about  in  feverish  excitement, 
unable  to  keep  still,  now  kicking  over  a  bundle  of  plants, 
now  thumping  down  his  fist  on  the  table;  his  favorite 
birds  were  starved  to  death,  his  snakes  had  escaped, 
and  his  ape  had  followed  their  example,  apparently  in 
his  fear  of  them. 

"  The  brute,  the  monster !"  cried  Nebsecht  in  a  rage. 
"  He  has  thrown  over  the  jars  with  the  beetles  in  them, 
opened  the  chest  of  meal  that  I  feed  the  birds  and 
insects  upon,  and  rolled  about  in  it ;  he  has  thrown  my 
knives,  prickers,  and  forceps,  my  pins,  compasses,  and 
reed  pens  all  out  of  window ;  and  when  I  came  in  he 
was  sitting  on  the  cupboard  up  there,  looking  just  like 
a  black  slave  that  works  night  and  day  in  a  corn-mill; 
he  had  got  hold  of  the  roll  which  contained  all  my  ob- 
servations on  the  structure  of  animals — the  result  of 
years  of  study  —and  was  looking  at  it  gravely  with  his 
head  on  one  side.  I  wanted  to  take  the  book  from  him, 
but  he  fled  with  the  roll,  sprang  out  of  window,  let 
himself  down  to  the  edge  of  the  well,  and  tore  and  rubbed 
the  manuscript  to  pieces  in  a  rage.  I  leaped  out  after 
him,  but  he  jumped  into  the  bucket,  took  hold  of  the 


28  UARDA. 

chain,  and  let  himself  down,  grinning  at  me  in  mockery, 
and  when  I  drew  him  up  again  he  jumped  into  the 
water  with  the  remains  of  the  book." 

"  And  the  poor  wretch  is  drowned  ?"  asked  Pentaur. 

"  I  fished  him  up  with  the  bucket,  and  laid  him  to 
dry  in  the  sun;  but  he  had  been  tasting  all  sorts  of 
medicines,  and  he  died  at  noon.  My  observations  are 
gone  !  Some  of  them  certainly  are  still  left ;  however, 
I  must  begin  again  at  the  beginning.  You  see  apes 
object  as  much  to  my  labors  as  sages;  there  lies  the 
beast  on  the  shelf." 

Pentaur  had  laughed  at  his  friend's  story,  and  then 
lamented  his  loss ;  but  now  he  said  anxiously  : 

"  He  is  lying  there  on  the  shelf?  But  you  forget 
that  he  ought  to  have  been  kept  in  the  little  oratory  of 
Toth  near  the  library.  He  belongs  to  the  sacred  dog- 
faced  apes,*  and  all  the  sacred  marks  were  found  upon 
him.  The  librarian  gave  him  into  your  charge  to  have 
his  bad  eye  cured." 

"That  was  quite  well,"  answered  Nebsecht  care- 
lessly. 

"  But  they  will  require  the  uninjured  corpse  of  you, 
to  embalm  it,"  said  Pentaur. 

"  Will  they  ?"  muttered  Nebsecht ;  and  he  looked  at 
his  friend  like  a  boy  who  is  asked  for  an  apple  that 
has  long  been  eaten. 

"  And  you  have  already  been  doing  something  with 
it,"  said  Pentaur,  in  a  tone  of  friendly  vexation. 

*  The  dog-faced  baboon,  Kynokephalos,  was  sacred  to  Toth  as  the  Moon- 
god.  Mummies  of  these  apes  have  been  found  at  Thebes  and  Hermopolis,  and 
they  are  often  represented  as  reading  with  much  gravity.  Statues  of  them 
have  been  found  in  great  quantities,  and  there  is  a  particularly  life-like  picture 
of  a  Kynokephalos  in  relief  on  the  left  wall  of  the  library  of  the  temple  of  Isis 
at  Philce. 


UARDA.  29 

The  leech  nodded.  "I  have  opened  him,  and  ex- 
amined his  heart." 

"  You  are  as  much  set  on  hearts  as  a  coquette !"  said 
Pentaur.  "What  is  become  of  the  human  heart  that 
the  old  paraschites  was  to  get  for  you  ?" 

Nebsecht  related  without  reserve  what  the  old  man 
had  done  for  him,  and  said  that  he  had  investigated 
the  human  heart,  and  had  found  nothing  in  it  dif- 
ferent from  what  he  had  discovered  in  the  heart  of 
beasts. 

"  But  I  must  see  it  in  connection  with  the  other  or- 
gans of  the  human  body,"  cried  he ;  "and  my  decision 
is  made.  I  shall  leave  the  House  of  Seti,  and  ask  the 
kolchytes  to  take  me  into  their  guild.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary I  will  first  perform  the  duties  of  the  lowest  para- 
schites." 

Pentaur  pointed  out  to  the  leech  what  a  bad  ex- 
change he  would  be  making,  and  at  last  exclaimed, 
when  Nebsecht  eagerly  contradicted  him,  "  This  dissect- 
ing of  the  heart  does  not  please  me.  You  say  your- 
self that  you  learned  nothing  by  it.  Do  you  still 
think  it  a  right  thing,  a  fine  thing — or  even  use- 
ful ?" 

"  I  do  not  trouble  myself  about  it,"  replied  Nebsecht. 
"  Whether  my  observations  seem  good  or  evil,  right  or 
heinous,  useful  or  useless,  I  want  to  know  how  things 
are,  nothing  more." 

"  And  so  for  mere  curiosity,"  cried  Pentaur,  "you 
would  endanger  the  blissful  future  of  thousands  of 
your  fellow-men,  take  upon  yourself  the  most  abject 
duties,  and  leave  this  noble  scene  of  your  labors,  where 
we  all  strive  for  enlightenment,  for  inward  knowledge 
and  truth." 


30  UARDA. 

The  naturalist  laughed  scornfully  ;  the  veins  swelled 
angrily  in  Pentaur's  forehead,  and  his  voice  took  a  threat- 
ening tone  as  he  asked : 

"  And  do  you  believe  that  your  finger  and  your  eyes 
have  lighted  on  the  truth,  when  the  noblest  souls  have 
striven  in  vain  for  thousands  of  years  to  find  it  out  ? 
You  descend  beneath  the  level  of  human  understanding 
by  madly  wallowing  in  the  mire ;  and  the  more  clearly 
you  are  convinced  that  you  have  seized  the  truth,  the 
more  utterly  you  are  involved  in  the  toils  of  a  miser- 
able delusion." 

"  If  I  believed  I  knew  the  truth  should  I  so  eagerly 
seek  it  ?"  asked  Nebsecht.  "  The  more  I  observe  and 
learn,  the  more  deeply  I  feel  my  want  of  knowledge  and 
power." 

"That  sounds  modest  enough,"  said  the  poet,  "but 
I  know  the  arrogance  to  which  your  labors  are  lead- 
ing you.  Everything  that  you  see  with  your  own  eyes 
and  touch  with  your  own  hand,  you  think  infallible,  and 
everything  that  escapes  your  observation  you  secretly 
regard  as  untrue,  and  pass  by  with  a  smile  of  superi- 
ority. But  you  cannot  carry  your  experiments  beyond 
the  external  world,  and  you  forget  that  there  are  things 
which  lie  in  a  different  realm." 

"  I  know  nothing  of  those  things,"  answered  Neb- 
secht quietly. 

"  But  we — the  Initiated,"  cried  Pentaur,  "  turn  our 
attention  to  them  also.  Thoughts — traditions — as  to 
their  conditions  and  agency  have  existed  among  us  for 
a  thousand  years  ;  hundreds  of  generations  of  men  have 
examined  these  traditions,  have  approved  them,  and  have 
handed  them  down  to  us.  All  our  knowledge,  it  is  true, 
is  defective,  and  yet  prophets  have  been  favored  with 


UARDA.  31 

the  gift  of  looking  into  the  future,  magic  powers  have 
been  vouchsafed  to  mortals.  All  this  is  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  the  external  world,  which  are  all  that  you  re- 
cognize, and  yet  it  can  easily  be  explained  if  we  accept 
the  idea  of  a  higher  order  of  things.  The  spirit  of  the 
Divinity  dwells  in  each  of  us,  as  in  nature.  The  nat- 
ural man  can  only  attain  to  such  knowledge  as  is  com- 
mon to  all ;  but  it  is  the  divine  capacity  for  serene  dis- 
cernment— which  is  omniscience — that  works  in  the 
seer ;  it  is  the  divine  and  unlimited  power — which  is 
omnipotence — that  from  time  to  time  enables  the  ma- 
gician to  produce  supernatural  effects !" 

"  Away  with  prophets  and  marvels !"  cried  Neb- 
secht. 

"I  should  have  thought,"  said  Pentaur,  "that  even 
the  laws  of  nature  which  you  recognize  presented  the 
greatest  marvels  daily  to  your  eyes ;  nay  the  Supreme 
One  does  not  disdain  sometimes  to  break  through  the 
common  order  of  things,  in  order  to  reveal  to  that 
portion  of  Himself  which  we  call  our  soul,  the  sublime 
Whole  of  which  we  form  part — Himself.  Only  to- 
day you  have  seen  how  the  heart  of  the  sacred  ram — " 

"  Man,  man  !"  Nebsecht  interrupted,  "  the  sacred 
heart  is  the  heart  of  a  hapless  sheep  that  a  sot  of  a 
soldier  sold  for  a  trifle  to  a  haggling  grazier,  and  thai 
was  slaughtered  in  a  common  herd.  A  proscribed  para- 
schites  put  it  into  the  body  of  Rui,  and — and — "  he 
opened  the  cupboard,  threw  the  carcase  of  the  ape  and 
some  clothes  on  to  the  floor,  and  took  out  an  alabaster 
bowl  which  he  held  before  the  poet — "  the  muscles  you 
see  here  in  brine,  this  machine,  once  beat  in  the  breast 
of  the  prophet  Rui.  My  sheep's  heart  will  be  carried 
to-morrow  in  the  procession  !  I  would  have  told  you 


32  UARDA. 

all  about  it  if  I  had  not  promised  the  old  man  to  hold 
my  tongue,  and  then — But  what  ails  you,  man  ?" 

Pentaur  had  turned  away  from  his  friend,  and 
covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  he  groaned  as  if 
he  were  suffering  some  frightful  physical  pain. 

Nebsecht  divined  what  was  passing  in  the  mind  of 
his  friend.  Like  a  child  that  has  to  ask  forgiveness  of 
its  mother  for  some  misdeed,  he  went  close  up  to  Pen- 
taur, but  stood  trembling  behind  him  not  daring  to 
speak  to  him. 

Several  minutes  passed.  Suddenly  Pentaur  raised 
his  head,  lifted  his  hands  to  heaven,  and  cried : 

"  O  Thou  !  the  One ! — though  stars  may  fall  from 
the  heavens  in  summer  nights,  still  Thy  eternal  and 
immutable  laws  guide  the  never-resting*  planets  in 
their  paths.  Thou  pure  and  all-prevading  Spirit,  that 
dwellest  in  me,  as  I  know  by  my  horror  of  a  lie,  mani- 
fest Thyself  in  me — as  light  when  1  think,  as  mercy 
Avhen  I  act,  and  when  I  speak,  as  truth — always  as 
truth !" 

The  poet  spoke  these  words  with  absorbed  fervor, 
and  Nebsecht  heard  them  as  if  they  were  speech  from 
some  distant  and  beautiful  world.  He  went  affection- 
ately up  to  his  friend,  and  eagerly  held  out  his  hand. 
Pentaur  grasped  it,  pressed  it  warmly,  and  said  : 

"  That  was  a  fearful  moment !  You  do  not  know 
what  Ameni  has  been  to  me,  and  now,  now !" 

He  hardly  had  ceased  speaking  when  steps  were 
heard  approaching  the  physician's  room,  and  a  young 
priest  requested  the  friends  to  appear  at  once  in  the 
meeting-room  of  the  Initiated.  In  a  few  moments 

*  In  the  sucrccf  writings  the  planets  are  called  "the  Never-resting." 


UARDA.  33 

they  both  entered  the  great  hall,  which  was  brilliantly 
lighted. 

Not  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  House  of  Seti  was 
absent. 

Ameni  sat  on  a  raised  seat  at  a  long  table ;  on  his 
right  hand  was  old  Gagabu,  on  his  left  the  third 
Prophet  of  the  temple.  The  principals  of  the  different 
orders  of  priests  had  also  found  places  at  the  table, 
and  among  them  the  chief  of  the  haruspices,  while  the 
rest  of  the  priests,  all  in  snow-white  linen  robes,  sat, 
with  much  dignity,  in  a  large  semicircle,  two  rows 
deep.  In  the  midst  stood  a  statue  of  the  Goddess  of 
truth  and  justice. 

Behind  Ameni's  throne  was  the  many-colored 
image  of  the  ibis-headed  Toth,  who  presided  over  the 
measure  and  method  of  things,  who  counselled  the 
Gods  as  well  as  men,  and  presided  over  learning  and 
the  arts.  In  a  niche  at  the  farther  end  of  the  hall 
were  painted  the  divine  Triad  of  Thebes,  with  Rameses  I. 
and  his  son  Seti,  who  approached  them  with  offerings. 
The  priests  were  placed  with  strict  regard  to  their  rank, 
and  the  order  of  initiation.  Pentaur's  was  the  lowest 
place  of  all. 

No  discussion  of  any  importance  had  as  yet  taken 
place,  for  Ameni  was  making  enquiries,  receiving  in- 
formation, and  giving  orders  with  reference  to  the  next 
day's  festival.  All  seemed  to  be  well  arranged,  and 
promised  a  magnificent  solemnity  ;  although  the  scribes 
complained  of  the  scarce  influx  of  beasts  from  the 
peasants,  who  were  so  heavily  taxed  for  the  war;  and 
although  that  feature  would  be  wanting  in  the  proces- 
sion which  was  wont  to  give  it  the  greatest  splendor 
— the  presence  of  the  king  and  the  royal  family. 


34  UARDA. 

This  circumstance  aroused  the  disapprobation  of 
some  of  the  priests,  who  were  of  opinion  that  it  would 
be  hazardous  to  exclude  the  two  children  of  Rameses, 
who  remained  in  Thebes,  from  any  share  in  the  solem- 
nities of  the  feast. 

Ameni  then  rose. 

"  We  have  sent  the  boy  Rameri,"  he  said,  "  away 
from  this  house.  Bent-Anat  must  be  purged  of  her  un- 
cleanness,  and  if  the  weak  superior  of  the  temple  of 
Amon  absolves  her,  she  may  pass  for  purified  over 
there,  where  they  live  for  this  world  only,  but  not  here, 
where  it  is  our  duty  to  prepare  the  soul  for  death. 
The  Regent,  a  descendant  of  the  great  deposed  race 
of  kings,  will  appear  in  the  procession  with  all  the 
splendor  of  his  rank.  I  see  you  are  surprised,  my 
friends.  Only  he !  Aye !  Great  things  are  stirring, 
and  it  may  happen  that  soon  the  mild  sun  of  peace 
may  rise  upon  our  war-ridden  people." 

"  Miracles  are  happening,"  he  continued,  "  and  in  a 
dream  I  saw  a  gentle  and  pious  man  on  the  throne  of 
the  earthly  vicar  of  Ra.  He  listened  to  our  counsel,  he 
gave  us  our  due,  and  led  back  to  our  fields  our  serfs 
that  had  been  sent  to  the  war ;  he  overthrew  the  altars 
of  the  strange  gods,  and  drove  the  unclean  stranger  out 
from  this  holy  land." 

"  The  Regent  Ani !"  exclaimed  Septah. 

An  eager  movement  stirred  the  assembly,  but 
Ameni  went  on : 

"  Perhaps  it  was  not  unlike  him,  but  he  certainly 
was  the  One;  he  had  the  features  of  the  true  and 
legitimate  descendants  of  Ra,  to  whom  Rui  was  faith- 
ful, in  whose  breast  the  heart  of  the  sacred  rain  found 
a  refuge.  To-morrow  this  pledge  of  the  divine  grace 


UARDA.  35 

shall  be  shown  to  the  people,  and  another  mercy  will 
also  be  announced  to  them.  Hear  and  praise  the  dis- 
pensations of  the  Most  High !  An  hour  ago  I  received 
the  news  that  a  new  Apis,  with  all  the  sacred  marks 
upon  him,  has  been  found  in  the  herds  of  Ani  at  Her- 
monthis." 

Fresh  excitement  was  shown  by  the  listening  con- 
clave. Ameni  let  their  astonishment  express  itself 
freely,  but  at  last  he  exclaimed : 

"  And  now  to  settle  the  last  question.  The  priest 
Pentaur,  who  is  now  present,  has  been  appointed 
speaker  at  the  festival  to-morrow.  He  has  erred  greatly, 
yet  I  think  we  need  not  judge  him  till  after  the  holy 
day,  and,  in  consideration  of  his  former  innocence,  need 
not  deprive  him  of  the  honorable  office.  Do  you 
share  my  wishes  ?  Is  there  no  dissentient  voice  ?  Then 
come  forward,  you,  the  youngest  of  us  all,  who  are  so 
highly  trusted  by  this  holy  assembly." 

Pentaur  rose  and  placed  himself  opposite  to  Ameni, 
in  order  to  give,  as  he  was  required  to  do,  a  broad 
outline  of  the  speech  he  proposed  to  deliver  next  day 
to  the  nobles  and  the  people. 

The  whole  assembly,  even  his  opponents,  listened 
to  him  with  approbation.  Ameni,  too,  praised  him,  but 
added : 

"  I  miss  only  one  thing  on  which  you  must  dwell 
at  greater  length,  and  treat  with  warmer  feeling — I 
mean  the  miracle  which  has  stirred  our  souls  to-day. 
We  must  show  that  the  Gods  brought  the  sacred 
heart — 

"  Allow  me,"  said  Pentaur,  interrupting  the  high- 
priest,  and  looking  earnestly  into  those  eyes  which 
long  since  he  had  sung  of — "Allow  me  to  entreat  you 


36  UARDA. 

not  to  select  me  to  declare  this  new  marvel  to  the 
people." 

Astonishment  was  stamped  on  the  face  of  every 
member  of  the  assembly.  Each  looked  at  his  neigh- 
bor, then  at  Pentaur,  and  at  last  enquiringly  at 
Ameni.  The  superior  knew  Pentaur,  and  saw  that  no 
mere  whimsical  fancy,  but  some  serious  motive  had 
given  rise  to  this  refusal.  Horror,  almost  aversion,  had 
rung  in  his  tone  as  he  said  the  words  '  new  marvel.' 

He  doubted  the  genuineness  of  this  divine  mani- 
festation ! 

Ameni  gazed  long  and  enquiringly  into  Pentaur's 
eyes,  and  then  said :  "  You  are  right,  my  friend.  Be- 
fore judgment  has  been  passed  on  you,  before  you  are 
reinstated  in  your  old  position,  your  lips  are  not  worthy 
to  announce  this  divine  wonder  to  the  multitude. 
Look  into  your  own  soul,  and  teach  the  devout  a 
horror  of  sin,  and  show  them  the  way,  which  you  must 
now  tread,  of  purification  of  the  heart.  I  myself  will 
announce  the  miracle." 

The  white-robed  audience  hailed  this  decision  of 
their  master  with  satisfaction.  Ameni  enjoined  this 
thing  on  one,  on  another,  that;  and  on  all,  perfect 
silence  as  to  the  dream  which  he  had  related  to  them, 
and  then  he  dissolved  the  meeting.  He  begged  only 
Gagabu  and  Pentaur  to  remain. 

As  soon  as  they  were  alone  Ameni  asked  the  poet  : 
"  Why  did  you  refuse  to  announce  to  the  people  the 
miracle,  which  has  filled  all  the  priests  of  the  Necro- 
polis with  joy  ?" 

'•'  Because  thou  hast  taught  me,"  replied  Pentaur, 
"  that  truth  is  the  highest  aim  we  can  have,  and  that 
there  is  nothing  higher." 


UARDA.  37 

"  I  tell  you  so  again  now,"  said  Ameni.  "  And  as 
you  recognize  this  doctrine,  I  ask  you,  in  the  name  of 
the  fair  daughter  of  Ra Do  you  doubt  the  genuine- 
ness of  the  miracle  that  took  place  under  our  very 
eyes  ?  " 

"  I  doubt  it,"  replied  Pentaur. 

"  Remain  on  the  high  stand-point  of  veracity,"  con- 
tinued Ameni,  "  and  tell  us  further,  that  we  may  learn, 
what  are  the  scruples  that  shake  thy  faith  ?" 

"  I  know,"  replied  the  poet  with  a  dark  expression, 
"  that  the  heart  which  the  crowd  will  approach  and 
bow  to,  before  which  even  the  Initiated  prostrate  them- 
selves as  if  it  had  been  the  incarnation  of  Ra,  was 
torn  from  the  bleeding  carcass  of  a  common  sheep, 
and  smuggled  into  the  kanopus  which  contained  the 
entrails  of  Rui." 

Ameni  drew  back  a  step,  and  Gagabu  cried  out : 
"Who  says  so?  Who  can  prove  it  ?  As  I  grow  older 
I  hear  more  and  more  frightful  things!" 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Pentaur  decidedly.  "  But  I  can- 
not reveal  the  name  of  him  from  whom  I  learned  it." 

"Then  we  may  believe  that  you  are  mistaken,  and 
that  some  impostor  is  fooling  you.  We  will  enquire 
who  has  devised  such  a  trick,  and  he  shall  be  punished ! 
To  scorn  the  voice  of  the  Divinity  is  a  sin,  and  he  who 
lends  his  ear  to  a  lie  is  far  from  the  truth.  Sacred 
and  thrice  sacred  is  the  heart,  blind  fool,  that  I  pur- 
pose to-morrow  to  show  to  the  people,  and  before  which 
you  yourself — if  not  with  good  will,  then  by  compul- 
sion— shall  fall,  prostrate  in  the  dust. 

"  Go  now,  and  reflect  on  the  words  with  which  you 
will  stir  the  souls  of  the  people  to-morrow  morning; 
but  know  one  thing — Truth  has  many  forms,  and  her 


38  UARDA. 

aspects  are  as  manifold  as  those  of  the  Godhead.  As 
the  sun  does  not  travel  over  a  level  plain  or  by  a 
straight  path — as  the  stars  follow  a  circuitous  course, 
which  we  compare  with  the  windings  of  the  snake 
Mehen,* — so  the  elect,  who  look  out  over  time  and 
space,  and  on  whom  the  conduct  of  human  life  de- 
volves, are  not  only  permitted,  but  commanded,  to  fol- 
low indirect  ways  in  order  to  reach  the  highest  aims, 
ways  that  you  do  not  understand,  and  which  you  may 
fancy  deviate  widely  from  the  path  of  truth.  You  look 
only  at  to-day,  we  look  forward  to  the  morrow,  and 
what  we  announce  as  truth  you  must  needs  believe. 
And  mark  my  words :  A  lie  stains  the  soul,  but  doubt 
eats  into  it." 

Ameni  had  spoken  with  strong  excitement;  when 
Pentaur  had  left  the  room,  and  he  was  alone  with 
Gagabu,  he  exclaimed : 

"  What  things  are  these  ?  Who  is  ruining  the  in- 
nocent child-like  spirit  of  this  highly  favored  youth  ?" 

"  He  is  ruining  it  himself,"  replied  Gagabu.  "  He 
is  putting  aside  the  old  law,  for  he  feels  a  new  one 
growing  up  in  his  own  breast." 

"  But  the  laws,"  exclaimed  Ameni,  "  grow  and  spread 
like  shadowy  woods;  they  are  made  by  no  one.  I  loved 
the  poet,  yet  I  must  restrain  him,  else  he  will  break 
down  all  barriers,  like  the  Nile  when  it  swells  too  high. 
And  what  he  says  of  the  miracle — " 

"  Did  you  devise  it  ?" 

*  The  snake  Mehen  (termed  in  the  texts  proceeding  "from  what  is  in  the 
abyss  ")  is  frequently  represented  in  waves  and  curves,  symbolizing  the  wind- 
ing course  of  the  sun  during  the  night,  in  the  under-world.  Mythological 
figures  of  snakes  have  quite  as  often  a  benevolent  as  a  malevolent  signifi- 
cance ;  snakes  were  kept  in  every  temple,  and  mummies  of  snakes,  particu- 
larly of  Vipem  cerastes,  are  found  at  Thebes.  Plutarch  says  the  snake  was 
held  sacred  because  it  glides  along  without  limbs,  like  the  stars. 


UARDA.  39 

"  By  the  Holy  One — no  !"  cried  Ameni. 

"  And  yet  Pentaur  is  sincere,  and  inclined  to  faith," 
said  the  old  man  doubtfully. 

"  I  know  it,"  returned  Ameni.  "  It  happened  as  he 
said.  But  who  did  it,  and  who  told  him  of  the  shame- 
ful deed  ?" 

Both  the  priests  stood  thoughtfully  gazing  at  the 
floor. 

Ameni  first  broke  the  silence. 

"  Pentaur  came  in  with  Nebsecht,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  and  they  are  intimate  friends.  Where  was  the  leech 
while  I  was  staying  in  Thebes  ?" 

"  He  was  taking  care  of  the  child  hurt  by  Bent- 
Anat — the  child  of  the  paraschites  Pinem,  and  he 
stayed  there  three  days,"  replied  Gagabu. 

"  And  it  was  Pinem,"  said  Ameni,  "  that  opened  the 
body  of  Rui !  Now  I  know  who  has  dimmed  Pentaur's 
faith.  It  was  that  inquisitive  stutterer,  and  he  shall  be 
made  to  repent  of  it.  For  the  present  let  us  think  of 
to-morrow's  feast,  but  the  day  after  I  will  examine  that 
nice  couple,  and  will  act  with  iron  severity." 

"  First  let  us  examine  the  naturalist  in  private,"  said 
Gagabu.  "  He  is  an  ornament  to  the  temple,  for  he 
las  investigated  many  matters,  and  his  dexterity  is 
wonderful." 

"  All  that  may  be  considered  after  the  festival," 
Ameni  said,  interrupting  the  old  man.  "  We  have 
enough  to  think  of  at  present." 

"  And  even  more  to  consider  later,"  retorted  Ga- 
gabu. "  We  have  entered  on  a  dangerous  path.  You 
know  very  well  I  am  still  hot-headed,  though  I  am 
old  in  years,  and  alas !  timidity  was  never  my  weak- 
ness; but  Rameses  is  a  powerful  man,  and  duty  com- 


40  UARDA. 

pels  me  to  ask  you :  Is  it  mere  hatred  for  the  king  that 
has  led  you  to  take  these  hasty  and  imprudent  steps  ?" 

"  I  have  no  hatred  for  Rameses,"  answered  Ameni 
gravely.  "  If  he  did  not  wear  the  crown  I  could  love 
him ;  I  know  him  too,  as  well  as  if  I  were  his  brother, 
and  value  all  that  is  great  in  him ;  nay  I  will  admit 
that  he  is  disfigured  by  no  littleness.  If  I  did  not 
know  how  strong  the  enemy  is,  we  might  try  to  over- 
throw him  with  smaller  means.  You  know  as  well  as 
I  do  that  he  is  our  enemy.  Not  yours,  nor  mine,  nor 
the  enemy  of  the  Gods ;  but  the  enemy  of  the  old  and 
reverend  ordinances  by  which  this  people  and  this 
country  must  be  governed,  and  above  all  of  those  who 
are  required  to  protect  the  wisdom  of  the  fathers,  and 
to  point  out  the  right  way  to  the  sovereign — I  mean  the 
priesthood,  whom  it  is  my  duty  to  lead,  and  for 
whose  rights  I  will  fight  with  every  weapon  of  the 
spirit.  In  this  contest,  as  you  know,  all  that  otherwise 
would  be  falsehood,  treachery,  and  cunning,  puts  on 
the  bright  aspect  of  light  and  truth.  As  the  physician 
needs  the  knife  and  fire  to  heal  the  sick,  we  must  do 
fearful  things  to  save  the  community  when  it  is  in 
danger.  Now  you  will  see  me  fight  with  every  weapon, 
for  if  we  remain  idle,  we  shall  soon  cease  to  be  the 
leaders  of  the  state,  and  become  the  slaves  of  the 
king." 

Gagabu  nodded  assent,  but  Ameni  went  on  with 
increasing  warmth,  and  in  that  rhythmical  accent  in 
which,  when  he  came  out  of  the  holy  of  holies,  he 
was  accustomed  to  declare  the  will  of  the  Divinity  : 
"  You  were  my  teacher,  and  I  value  you,  and  so  you 
now  shall  be  told  everything  that  stirred  my  soul,  and 
made  me  first  resolve  upon  this  fearful  struggle.  I  was, 


UARDA.  41 

as  you  know,  brought  up  in  this  temple  with  Rameses 
— and  it  was  very  wise  of  Seti  to  let  his  son  grow  up 
here  with  other  boys.  At  work  and  at  play  the  heir 
to  the  throne  and  I  won  every  prize.  He  was  quite 
my  superior  in  swift  apprehension — in  keen  percep- 
tion— but  I  had  greater  caution,  and  deeper  purpose. 
Often  he  laughed  at  my  laborious  efforts,  but  his 
brilliant  powers  appeared  to  me  a  vain  delusion.  I 
became  one  of  the  initiated,  he  ruled  the  state  in 
partnership  with  his  father,  and,  when  Seti  died,  by 
himself.  We  both  grew  older,  but  the  foundation  of 
our  characters  remained  the  same.  He  rushed  to 
splendid  victories,  overthrew  nations,  and  raised  the 
glory  of  the  Egyptian  name  to  a  giddy  height,  though 
stained  with  the  blood  of  his  people ;  I  passed  my  life 
in  industry  and  labor,  in  teaching  the  young,  and 
in  guarding  the  laws  which  regulate  the  intercourse 
of  men  and  bind  the  people  to  the  Divinity.  I 
compared  the  present  with  the  past :  What  were  the 
priests  ?  How  had  they  come  to  be  what  they  are  ? 
What  would  Egypt  be  without  them  ?  There  is 
not  an  art,  not  a  science,  not  a  faculty  that  is  not 
thought  out,  constructed,  and  practised  by  us.  We 
crown  the  kings,  \ve  named  the  Gods,  and  taught  the 
people  to  honor  them  as  divine — for  the  crowd  needs 
a  hand  to  lead  it,  and  under  which  it  shall  tremble  as 
under  the  mighty  hand  of  Fate.  We  are  the  willing 
ministers  of  the  divine  representative  of  Ra  on  the 
throne,  so  long  as  he  rules  in  accordance  with  our  in- 
stitutions— as  the  One  God  reigns,  subject  to  eternal 
laws.  He  used  to  choose  his  counsellors  from  among 
us ;  we  told  him  what  would  benefit  the  country,  he 
heard  us  willingly,  and  executed  our  plans.  The  old 
25 


42  UARDA. 

kings  were  the  hands,  but  we,  the  priests,  were  the 
head.  And  now,  my  father,  what  has  become  of  us  ? 
We  are  made  use  of  to  keep  the  people  in  the  faith, 
for  if  they  cease  to  honor  the  Gods  how  will  they 
submit  to  kings  ?  Seti  ventured  much,  his  son  risks 
still  more,  and  therefore  both  have  required  much  suc- 
cor from  the  Immortals.  Rameses  is  pious,  he  sacri- 
fices frequently,  and  loves  prayer:  we  are  necessary 
to  him,  to  waft  incense,  to  slaughter  hecatombs,  to 
offer  prayers,  and  to  interpret  dreams — but  we  are  no 
longer  his  advisers.  My  father,  now  in  Osiris,  a  worthier 
high-priest  than  I,  was  charged  by  the  Prophets  to 
entreat  his  father  to  give  up  the  guilty  project  of 
connecting  the  north  sea  by  a  navigable  channel  with 
the  unclean  waters  of  the  Red  Sea.*  Such  things  can 
only  benefit  the  Asiatics.  But  Seti  would  not  listen 
to  our  counsel.  We  desired  to  preserve  the  old  division 
of  the  land,  but  Rameses  introduced  the  new  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  priests;  we  warned  him  against 
fresh  wars,  and  the  king  again  and  again  has  taken 
the  field;  we  had  the  ancient  sacred  documents  which 
exempted  our  peasantry  from  military  service,  and, 
as  you  know,  he  outrageously  defies  them.  From  the 
most  ancient  times  no  one  has  been  permitted  to  raise 
temples  in  this  land  to  strange  Gods,  and  Rameses 
favors  the  son  of  the  stranger,  and,  not  only  in  the 
north  country,  but  in  the  reverend  city  of  Memphis 
and  here  in  Thebes,  he  has  raised  altars  and  magnifi- 


*  The  harbors  of  the  Red  Sen  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Phoenicians,  who 
sailed  from  thence  southwards  to  enrich  themselves  with  the  produce  of 
Arabia  and  Ophir.  Pharaoh  Necho  also  projected  a  Suez  canal,  but  does  not 
appear  to  have  carried  it  out,  as  the  oracle  declared  that  the  utility  of  the 
undertaking  would  be  greatest  to  foreigners. 


UARDA.  43 

cent  sanctuaries,  in  the  strangers'  quarter,  to  the 
sanguinary*  false  Gods  of  the  East." 

"  You  speak  like  a  Seer,"  cried  old  Gagabu,  "  and 
what  you  say  is  perfectly  true.  We  are  still  called 
priests,  but  alas  !  our  counsel  is  little  asked.  '  You  have 
to  prepare  men  for  a  happy  lot  in  the  other  world,' 
Rameses  once  said ;  '  I  alone  can  guide  their  destinies 
in  this.'  " 

"  He  did  say  so,"  answered  Ameni,  "  and  if  he  had 
said  no  more  than  that  he  would  have  been  doomed. 
He  and  his  house  are  the  enemies  of  our  rights  and 
of  our  noble  country.  Need  I  tell  you  from  whom 
the  race  of  the  Pharaoh  is  descended  ?  Formerly  the 
hosts  who  came  from  the  east,  and  fell  on  our  land 
like  swarms  of  locusts,  robbing  and  destroying  it,  were 
spoken  of  as  '  a  curse '  and  a  '  pest.'  Rameses'  father 
was  of  that  race.  When  Ani's  ancestors  expelled  the 
Hyksos,  the  bold  chief,  whose  children  now  govern 
Egypt,  obtained  the  favor  of  being  allowed  to  re- 
main on  the  banks  of  the  Nile;  they  served  in  the 
armies,  they  distinguished  themselves,  and,  at  last,  the 
first  Rameses  succeeded  in  gaining  the  troops  over  to 
himself,  and  in  pushing  the  old  race  of  the  legitimate 
sons  of  Ra,  weakened  as  they  were  by  heresy,  from 
the  throne.  I  must  confess,  however  unwillingly,  that 
some  priests  of  the  true  faith — among  them  your 
grandfather,  and  mine — supported  the  daring  usurper 
who  clung  faithfully  to  the  old  traditions.  Not  less 
than  a  hundred  generations  of  my  ancestors,  and  of 
yours,  and  of  many  other  priestly  families,  have  lived 
and  died  here  by  the  banks  of  the  Nile — of  Rameses' 

*  Human  sacrifices,  which  had  been  introduced  into  Egypt  by  the  Phoeni- 
cians, were  very  early  abolished. 


44  UARDA, 

race  we  have  seen  ten,  and  only  know  of  them  that 
they  descend  from  strangers,  from  the  caste  of  Amu ! 
He  is  like  all  the  Semitic  race;  they  love  to  wander, 
they  call  us  ploughmen,*  and  laugh  to  scorn  the  sober 
regularity  with  which  we,  tilling  the  dark  soil,  live 
through  our  lives  to  a  tardy  death,  in  honest  labor 
both  of  mind  and  body.  They  sweep  round  on  foraying 
excursions,  ride  the  salt  waves  in  ships,  and  know  no 
loved  and  fixed  home ;  they  settle  down  wherever 
they  are  tempted  by  rapine,  and  when  there  is  nothing 
more  to  be  got  they  build  a  house  in  another  spot. 
Such  was  Seti,  such  is  Rameses !  For  a  year  he  will 
stop  in  Thebes,  then  he  must  set  out  for  wars  in 
strange  lands.  He  does  not  know  how  to  yield  piously, 
or  to  take  advice  of  wise  counsellors,  and  he  will  not 
learn.  And  such  as  the  father  is,  so  are  the  children ! 
Think  of  the  criminal  behavior  of  Bent-Anat !" 

"  I  said  the  kings  liked  foreigners.  Have  you  duly 
considered  the  importance  of  that  to  us  ?  We  strive 
for  high  and  noble  aims,  and  have  wrenched  off  the 
shackles  of  the  flesh  in  order  to  guard  our  souls.  The 
poorest  man  lives  secure  under  the  shelter  of  the  law,  and 
through  us  participates  in  the  gifts  of  the  spirit ;  to  the 
rich  are  offered  the  priceless  treasures  of  art  and 
learning.  Now  look  abroad  :  east  and  west  wandering 
tribes  roam  over  the  desert  with  wretched  tents ;  in 
the  south  a  debased  populace  prays  to  feathers,  and  to 
abject  idols,  who  are  beaten  if  the  worshipper  is  not 
satisfied.  In  the  north  certainly  there  are  well  regulated 
states,  but  the  best  part  of  the  arts  and  sciences  which 
they  possess  they  owe  to  us,  and  their  altars  still  reek 
with  the  loathsome  sacrifice  of  human  blood.  Only 

*  The  word  Fellah  (pi.   Fellahin)  njeans  ploughman. 


UARDA.  45 

backsliding  from  the  right  is  possible  under  the  stranger, 
and  therefore  it  is  prudent  to  withdraw  from  him ; 
therefore  he  is  hateful  to  our  Gods.  And  Rameses, 
the  king,  is  a  stranger,  by  blood  and  by  nature,  in  his 
affections,  and  in  his  appearance;  his  thoughts  are 
always  abroad — this  country  is  too  small  for  him — and 
he  will  never  perceive  what  is  really  best  for  him, 
clear  as  his  intellect  is.  He  will  listen  to  no  guidance, 
he  does  mischief  to  Egypt,  and  therefore  I  say :  Down 
with  him  from  the  throne!  " 

"  Down  with  him !" — Gagabu  eagerly  echoed  the 
words.  Ameni  gave  the  old  man  his  hand,  which 
trembled  with  excitement,  and  went  on  more  calmly. 

"  The  Regent  Ani  is  a  legitimate  child  of  the  soil, 
by  his  father  and  mother  both.  I  know  him  well,  and 
I  am  sure  that  though  he  is  cunning  indeed,  he  is  full 
of  true  veneration,  and  will  righteously  establish  us  in 
the  rights  which  we  have  inherited.  The  choice  is  easy  : 
I  have  chosen,  and  I  always  carry  through  what  I 
have  once  begun  !  Now  you  know  all,  and  you  will 
second  me." 

"  With  body  and  soul !"  cried  Gagabu. 

"  Strengthen  the  hearts  of  the  brethren,"  said 
Ameni,  preparing  to  go.  "  The  initiated  may  all  guess 
what  is  going  on,  but  it  must  never  be  spoken  of." 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  sun  was  up  on  the  twenty-ninth  morning  of 
the  second  month  of  the  over-flow  of  the  Nile,*  and 

*  The  2Qth  Phaophi.  The  Egyptians  divided  the  year  into  three  seasons 
of  four  months  each.  Flood-time,  Seed-time  and  Harvest.  (ScAa,  fer  and 
Si/itmu.)  The  29th  Phaophi  corresponds  to  the  8th  November. 


46  UARDA, 

citizens  and  their  wives,  old  men  and  children,  free- 
men and  slaves,  led  by  priests,  did  homage  to  the 
rising  day-star  before  the  door  of  the  temple  to  which 
the  quarter  of  the  town  belonged  where  each  one 
dwelt. 

The  Thebans  stood  together  like  huge  families  be- 
fore the  pylons,  waiting  for  the  processions  of  priests, 
which  they  intended  to  join  in  order  to  march  in  their 
train  round  the  great  temple  of  the  city,  and  thence  to 
cross  with  the  festal  barks  to  the  Necropolis. 

To-day  was  the  Feast  of  the  Valley,  and  Amon, 
the  great  God  of  Thebes,  was  carried  over  in  solemn 
pomp  to  the  City  of  the  Dead,  in  order  that  he — as  the 
priests  said  * — might  sacrifice  to  his  fathers  in  the  other 
world.  The  train  marched  westward  :  for  there,  where 
the  earthly  remains  of  man  also  found  rest,  the  millions 
of  suns  had  disappeared,  each  of  which  was  succeeded 
daily  by  a  new  one,  born  of  the  night.  The  young 
luminary,  the  priests  said,  did  not  forget  those  that  had 
been  extinguished,  and  from  whom  he  was  descended ; 
and  Amon  paid  them  this  mark  of  respect  to  warn  the 
devout  not  to  forget  those  who  were  passed  away,  and 
to  whom  they  owed  their  existence. 

"  Bring  offerings, "  says  a  pious  text,  "  to  thy  father 
and  thy  mother  who  rest  in  the  valley  of  the  tombs ; 
for  such  gifts  are  pleasing  to  the  Gods,  who  will  receive 
them  as  if  brought  to  themselves.  Often  visit  thy  dead, 
so  that  what  thou  dost  for  them,  thy  son  may  do  for 
thee."  ** 

The  Feast  of  the  Valley  was  a  feast  of  the  dead ; 

*  Mnspero,  Memoire  sur  quelques  Papyrus  du  Louvre,  p.  75.  Pap.  3. 
Bulaq,  V.  3,  lines  22,  23. 

**  From  the  Papyrus  IV.  at  Bulaq,  which  contains  moral  precepts.  Tt  has 
been  published  by  Marietle,  and  translated  by  P.ru^sch,  K.  de  Rouge,  and  lazily 
treated  with  admirable  analysis  by  Chabas,  in  1'Egyptologic. 


UARDA.  47 

but  it  was  not  a  melancholy  solemnity,  observed  with 
lamentation  and  wailing;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  a 
cheerful  festival,  devoted  to  pious  and  sentimental 
memories  of  those  whom  we  cease  not  to  love  after 
death,  whom  we  esteem  happy  and  blest,  and  of  whom 
we  think  with  affection ;  to  whom  too  the  throng  from 
Thebes  brought  offerings,  forming  groups  in  the  chapel- 
like  tombs,  or  in  front  of  the  graves,  to  eat  and  drink. 

Father,  mother  and  children  clung  together ;  the 
house-slaves  followed  with  provisions,  and  with  torches, 
which  would  light  up  the  darkness  of  the  tomb  and 
show  the  way  home  at  night. 

Even  the  poorest  had  taken  care  to  secure  before- 
hand a  place  in  one  of  the  large  boats  which  conveyed 
the  people  across  the  stream ;  the  barges  of  the  rich, 
dressed  in  the  gayest  colors,  awaited  their  owners 
with  their  households,  and  the  children  had  dreamed 
all  night  of  the  sacred  bark  of  Amon,  whose  splendor, 
as  their  mothers  told  them,  was  hardly  less  than  that 
of  the  golden  boat  in  which  the  Sun-God  and  his 
companions  make  their  daily  voyage  across  the  ocean 
of  heaven.  The  broad  landing  place  of  the  temple 
of  Amon  was  already  crowded  with  priests,  the  shore 
with  citizens,  and  the  river  with  boats;  already  loud 
music  drowned  the  din  of  the  crowds,  who  thronged 
and  pushed,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  dust,  to  reach  the 
boats ;  the  houses  and  hovels  of  Thebes  were  all  empty, 
and  the  advent  of  the  God  through  the  temple-gates 
was  eagerly  expected;  but  still  the  members  of  the 
royal  family  had  not  appeared,  who  were  wont  on 
this  solemn  day  to  go  on  foot  to  the  great  temple  of 
Amon ;  and,  in  the  crowd,  many  a  one  asked  his 
neighbor  why  Bent-Anat,  the  fair  daughter  of  Rameses, 


48  UARDA. 

lingered  so  long,  and  delayed  the  starting  of  the  pro- 
cession. 

The  priests  had  begun  their  chant  within  the  walls, 
which  debarred  the  outer  world  from  any  glimpse  into 
the  bright  precincts  of  the  temple ;  the  Regent  with  his 
brilliant  train  had  entered  the  sanctuary ;  the  gates  were 
thrown  open  ;  the  youths  in  their  short-aprons,  who 
threw  flowers  in  the  path  of  the  God,  had  come  out ; 
clouds  of  incense  announced  the  approach  of  Amon — 
and  still  the  daughter  of  Rameses  appeared  not. 

Many  rumors  were  afloat,  most  of  them  contra- 
dictory ;  but  one  was  accurate,  and  confirmed  by  the 
temple  servants,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  crowd — Bent- 
Anat  was  excluded  from  the  Feast  of  the  Valley. 

She  stood  on  her  balcony  with  her  brother  Rameri 
and  her  friend  Nefert,  and  looked  down  on  the  river, 
and  on  the  approaching  God. 

Early  in  the  previous  morning  Bek-en-Chunsu,  the 
old  high-priest  of  the  temple  of  Amon  had  pronounced 
her  clean,  but  in  the  evening  he  had  come  to  com- 
municate to  her  the  intelligence  that  Ameni  prohibited 
her  entering  the  Necropolis  before  she  had  obtained 
the  forgiveness  of  the  Gods  of  the  West  for  her 
offence. 

While  still  under  the  ban  of  uncleanness  she  had 
visited  the  temple  of  Hathor,  and  had  defiled  it  by  her 
presence ;  and  the  stern  Superior  of  the  City  of  the 
Dead  was  in  the  right — that  Bek-en-Chunsu  himself 
admitted — in  closing  the  western  shore  against  her. 
Bent-Anat  then  had  recourse  to  Ani ;  but,  though  he 
promised  to  mediate  for  her,  he  came  late  in  the  even- 
ing to  tell  her  that  Ameni  was  inexorable.  The  Regent 
at  the  same  time,  with  every  appearance  of  regret, 


UARDA.  49 

advised  her  to  avoid  an  open  quarrel,  and  not  to  defy 
Ameni's  lofty  severity,  but  to  remain  absent  from  the 
festival. 

Katuti  at  the  same  time  sent  the  dwarf  to  Nefert, 
to  desire  her  to  join  her  mother,  in  taking  part  in 
the  procession,  and  in  sacrificing  in  her  father's  tomb; 
but  Nefert  replied  that  she  neither  could  nor  would 
leave  her  royal  friend  and  mistress. 

Bent-Anat  had  given  leave  of  absence  to  the  highest 
members  of  her  household,  and  had  prayed  them  to 
think  of  her  at  the  splendid  solemnity. 

When,  from  her  balcony,  she  saw  the  mob  of 
people  and  the  crowd  of  boats,  she  went  back  into  her 
room,  called  Rameri,  who  was  angrily  declaiming  at 
what  he  called  Ameni's  insolence,  took  his  hands  in 
hers,  and  said : 

"  We  have  both  done  wrong,  brother ;  let  us  patiently 
submit  to  the  consequences  of  our  faults,  and  conduct 
ourselves  as  if  our  father  were  with  us." 

"  He  would  tear  the  panther-skin  from  the  haughty 
priest's  shoulders,"  cried  Rameri,  "  if  he  dared  to 
humiliate  you  so  in  his  presence ;"  and  tears  of  rage 
ran  down  his  smooth  cheeks  as  he  spoke. 

"  Put  anger  aside,"  said  Bent-Anat.  "  You  were 
still  quite  little  the  last  time  my  father  took  part  in 
this  festival." 

"  Oh  !  I  remember  that  morning  well,"  exclaimed 
Rameri,  "  and  shall  never  forget  it." 

"  So  I  should  think,"  said  the  princess.  "  Do  not 
leave  us,  Nefert — you  are  now  my  sister.  It  was  a 
glorious  morning ;  we  children  were  collected  in  the 
great  hall  of  the  King,  all  in  festival  dresses;  he  had 
us  called  into  this  room,  which  had  been  inhabited  by 


50  UARDA. 

my  mother,  who  then  had  been  dead  only  a  few 
months.  He  took  each  of  us  by  the  hand,  and  said 
he  forgave  us  everything  we  might  have  done  wrong 
if  only  we  were  sincerely  penitent,  and  gave  us  each 
a  kiss  on  our  forehead.  Then  he  beckoned  us  all  to 
him,  and  said,  as  humbly  as  if  he  were  one  of  us  in- 
stead of  the  great  king,  '  Perhaps  I  may  have  done  one 
of  you  some  injustice,  or  have  kept  you  out  of  some 
right ;  I  am  not  conscious  of  such  a  thing,  but  if  it  has 
occurred  I  am  very  sorry' — we  all  rushed  upon  him, 
and  wanted  to  kiss  him,  but  he  put  us  aside  smiling, 
and  said,  '  Each  of  you  has  enjoyed  an  equal  share  of 
one  thing,  that  you  may  be  sure — I  mean  your  father's 
love ;  and  I  see  now  that  you  return  what  I  have  given 
you.'  Then  he  spoke  of  our  mother,  and  said  that 
even  the  tenderest  father  could  not  fill  the  place  of  a 
mother.  He  drew  a  lovely  picture  of  the  unselfish  de- 
votion of  the  dead  mother,  and  desired  us  to  pray  and 
to  sacrifice  with  him  at  her  resting-place,  and  to  resolve 
to  be  worthy  of  her;  not  only  in  great  things  but  in 
trifles  too,  for  they  make  up  the  sum  of  life,  as  hours 
make  the  days,  and  the  years.  We  elder  ones  clasped 
each  other's  hands,  and  I  never  felt  happier  than  in 
that  moment,  and  afterwards  by  my  mother's  grave." 

Nefert  raised  her  eyes  that  were  wet  with  tears. 

"  With  such  a  father  it  must  be  easy  to  be  good," 
she  said. 

"  Did  your  mother  never  speak  good  words  that 
Avent  to  your  heart  on  the  morning  of  this  festival  ?" 
asked  Bent-Anat. 

Nefert  colored,  and  answered :  "  We  were  always 
late  in  dressing,  and  then  had  to  hurry  to  be  at  the 
temple  in  time." 


UARDA.  5 1 

"Then  let  me  be  your  mother  to-day,"  cried  the 
princess,  "  and  yours  too,  Rameri.  Do  you  not  remem- 
ber how  my  father  offered  forgiveness  to  the  officers  of 
the  court,  and  to  all  the  servants,  and  how  he  enjoined 
us  to  root  out  every  grudge  from  our  hearts  on  this 
day  ?  '  Only  stainless  garments,'  he  said,  '  befit  this 
feast ;  only  hearts  without  spot.'  So,  brother,  I  will  not 
hear  an  evil  word  about  Ameni,  who  is  most  likely 
forced  to  be  severe  by  the  law ;  my  father  will  enquire 
into  it  all  and  decide.  My  heart  is  so  full,  it  must  over- 
flow. Come,  Nefert,  give  me  a  kiss,  and  you  too, 
Rameri.  Now  I  will  go  into  my  little  temple,  in  which 
the  images  of  our  ancestors  stand,  and  think  of  my 
mother  and  the  blessed  spirits  of  those  loved  ones  to 
whom  I  may  not  sacrifice  to-day." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Rameri. 

"  You,  Nefert — stay  here,"  said  Bent-Anat,  "  and  cut 
as  many  flowers  as  you  like ;  take  the  best  and  finest, 
and  make  a  wreath,  and  when  it  is  ready  we  will  send 
a  messenger  across  to  lay  it,  with  other  gifts,  on  the 
grave  of  your  Mena's  mother." 

When,  half-an-hour  later,  the  brother  and  sister 
returned  to  the  young  wife,  two  graceful  garlands  hung 
in  Nefert's  hands,  one  for  the  grave  of  the  dead  queen, 
and  one  for  Mena's  mother. 

"  I  will  carry  over  the  wreaths,  and  lay  them  in 
the  tombs,"  cried  the  prince. 

"Ani  thought  it  would  be  better  that  we  should 
not  show  ourselves  to  the  people,"  said  his  sister. 
"  They  will  scarcely  notice  that  you  are  not  among  the 
school-boys,  but — " 

"  But  I  will  not  go  over  as  the  king's  son,  but  as  a 
gardener's  boy — "  interrupted  the  prince.  "  Listen  to 


52  UARDA. 

the  flourish  of  trumpets !  the  God  has  now  passed 
through  the  gates." 

Rameri  stepped  out  into  the  balcony,  and  the  two 
women  followed  him,  and  looked  down  on  the  scene 
of  the  embarkation  which  they  could  easily  see  with 
their  sharp  young  eyes. 

"  It  will  be  a  thinner  and  poorer  procession* 
without  either  my  father  or  us,  that  is  one  comfort," 
said  Rameri.  "  The  chorus  is  magnificent ;  here  come 
the  plume-bearers  and  singers;  there  is  the  chief 
prophet  at  the  great  temple,  old  Bek-en-Chunsu.  How 
dignified  he  looks,  but  he  will  not  like  going.  Now 
the  God  is  coming,  for  I  smell  the  incense." 

With  these  words  the  prince  fell  on  his  knees,  and 
the  women  followed  his  example — when  they  saw  first  a 
noble  bull  in  whose  shining  skin  the  sun  was  reflected, 
and  who  bore  between  his  horns  a  golden  disk, 
above  which  stood  white  ostrich-feathers ;  and  then, 
divided  from  the  bull  only  by  a  few  fan-bearers,  the 
God  himself,  sometimes  visible,  but  more  often  hidden 
from  sight  by  great  semi-circular  screens  of  black  and 
white  ostrich-feathers,  which  were  fixed  on  long  poles, 
and  with  which  the  priests  shaded  the  God. 

His  mode  of  progress  was  as  mysterious  as  his  name, 
for  he  seemed  to  float  slowly  on  his  gorgeous  throne 
from  the  temple-gates  towards  the  stream.  His  seat 
was  placed  on  a  platform,  magnificently  decorated  with 
bunches  and  garlands  of  flowers,  and  covered  with 
hangings  of  purple  and  gold  brocade,  which  concealed 
the  priests  who  bore  it  along  with  a  slow  and  even 
pace. 

*  I  have  been  guided  in  my  description  of  the  procession  by  the  repre. 
sentatiun  of  the  feast  of  the  Steps  at  Medinct  Abu. 


UARDA. 


53 


As  soon  as  the  God  had  been  placed  on  board  his 
barge,  Bent-Anat  and  her  companions  rose  from  their 
knees. 

Then  came  some  priests,  who  carried  a  box  with 
the  sacred  evergreen  tree  of  Amon ;  and  when  a  fresh 
outburst  of  music  fell  on  her  ear,  and  a  cloud  of  in- 
cense was  wafted  up  to  her,  Bent-Anat  said :  "  Now 
my  father  should  be  coming." 

"  And  you,"  cried  Rameri,  "  and  close  behind, 
Nefert's  husband,  Mena,  with  the  guards.  Uncle  Ani 
comes  on  foot.  How  strangely  he  has  dressed  himself 
like  a  sphinx  hind-part  before  !" 

"  How  so  ?"  asked  Nefert. 

"  A  sphinx,''  said  Rameri  laughing,  "  has  the  body 
of  a  lion,  and  the  head  of  a  man,*  and  my  uncle  has 
a  peaceful  priest's  robe,  and  on  his  head  the  helmet  of  a 
warrior." 

"  If  the  king  were  here,  the  distributor  of  life,"  said 
Nefert,  "  you  would  not  be  missing  from  among  his 
supporters." 

"  No  indeed !"  replied  the  prince,  "  and  the  whole 
tiling  is  altogether  different  when  my  father  is  here. 
His  heroic  form  is  splendid  on  his  golden  throne ;  the 
statues  of  Truth  and  Justice  spread  their  wings  behind 
him  as  if  to  protect  him  ;  his  mighty  representative  in 
fight,  the  lion,  lies  peacefully  before  him,  and  over  him 
spreads  the  canopy  with  the  Uraeus  snake  at  the  top. 
There  is  hardly  any  end  to  the  haruspices,  the  pasto- 
phori  with  the  standards,  the  images  of  the  Gods,  and 
the  flocks  and  herds  for  sacrifice.  Only  think,  even 
the  North  has  sent  representatives  to  the  feast,  as  if  my 

"  There  were  no  female  sphinxes  in  Egypt.  The  sphinx  was  called  Neb, 
i.  e.,  the  lord.  The  lion-couchant  had  either  a  man's  or  a  ram's  head. 


54  UARDA. 

father  were  here.  I  know  all  the  different  signs  on  the 
standards.*  Do  you  recognize  the  images  of  the  king's 
ancestors,  Nefert  ?  No  ?  no  more  do  I ;  but  it  seemed 
to  me  that  Ahmes  I.,  who  expelled  the  Hyksos-^-from 
whom  our  grandmother  was  descended — headed  the 
procession,  and  not  my  grandfather  Seti,  as  he  should 
have  done.  Here  come  the  soldiers;  they  are  the 
legions  which  Ani  equipped,  and  who  returned  vic- 
torious from  Ethiopia  only  last  night.  How  the  people 
cheer  them !  and  indeed  they  have  behaved  valiantly. 
Only  think,  Bent-Anat  and  Nefert,  what  it  will  be  when 
my  father  comes  home,  with  a  hundred  captive  princes, 
who  will  humbly  follow  his  chariot,  which  your  Mena 
will  drive,  with  our  brothers  and  all  the  nobles  of  the 
land,  and  the  guards  in  their  splendid  chariots." 

"  They  do  not  think  of  returning  yet !"  sighed  Nefert. 

While  more  and  more  troops  of  the  Regent's  sol- 
diers, more  companies  of  musicians,  and  rare  animals,** 
followed  in  procession,  the  festal  bark  of  Amon  started 
from  the  shore. 

It  was  a  large  and  gorgeous  barge  of  wood,  polished 
all  over  and  overlaid  with  gold,  and  its  edge  was  deco- 
rated with  glittering  glass-beads,***  which  imitated 
rubies  and  emeralds;  the  masts  and  yards  Avere  gilt, 

*  Every  Nomos  or  province  of  Egypt  had  its  heraldic  badge,  which  on 
solemn  occasions  was  carried  as  a  standard.  There  were  complete  lists  of  the 
forty-four  provinces  as  early  as  the  time  of  Seti  I.  Those  of  Philae,  Edfu  and 
Dendera  give  many  interesting  details,  particularly  as  to  the  religious  ob- 
servances, in  each  Nomos.  See  Harris,  Rrugsch,  Dumichen,  and  J.  de  Rouge. 
**  A  great  number  of  foreign  beasts  were  introduced  in  a  procession  under 
Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  which  is  graphically  described  by  Callixenus,  an  eye- 
witness. The  I.agides  imitated  a  custom  which,  as  we  learn  from  the  pictures 
in  the  tomb  of  Rech  ma  Ra,  iSth  dynasty,  existed  in  very  early  times. 

***  These  were  manufactured  by  the  Egyptians,  with  great  skill,  in  various 
forms  and  colors.  In  the  Minutoli  collection  and  many  others,  particularly  the 
one  at  Bulaq,  are  specimens  of  mosaic  jewelry',  which  even  the  best  workmen  of 
modern  times  would  find  it  difficult  to  imitate. 


UARDA.  55 

and  purple  sails  floated  from  them.  The  seats  for 
the  priests  were  of  ivory,  and  garlands  of  lilies  and 
roses  hung  round  the  vessel,  from  its  masts  and  ropes. 

The  Regent's  Nile-boat  was  not  less  splendid  ;  the 
wood-work  shone  with  gilding,  the  cabin  was  furnished 
with  gay  Babylonian  carpets ;  a  lion's-head  formed  the 
prow,  as  formerly  in  Hatasu's  sea-going  vessels,  and 
two  large  rubies  shone  in  it,  for  eyes.  After  the  priests 
had  embarked,  and  the  sacred  barge  had  reached  the 
opposite  shore,  the  people  pressed  into  the  boats,  which, 
filled  almost  to  sinking,  soon  so  covered  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  river  that  there  was  hardly  a  spot  where 
the  sun  was  mirrored  in  the  yellow  waters. 

"  Now  I  will  put  on  the  dress  of  a  gardener,"  cried 
Rameri,  "  and  cross  over  with  the  wreaths." 

"  You  will  leave  us  alone  ?"  asked  Bent-Anat. 

"  Do  not  make  me  anxious,"  said  Rameri. 

"  Go  then,"  said  the  princess.  "  If  my  father  were 
here  how  willingly  I  would  go  too." 

"  Come  with  me,"  cried  the  boy.  "  We  can  easily 
find  a  disguise  for  you  too." 

"  Folly!"  said  Bent-Anat ;  but  she  looked  enquiringly 
at  Nefert,  who  shrugged  her  shoulders,  as  much  as  to 
say :  "  Your  will  is  my  law." 

Rameri  was  too  sharp  for  the  glances  of  the  friends 
to  have  escaped  him,  and  he  exclaimed  eagerly  : 

"  You  will  come  with  me,  I  see  you  will !  Every 
beggar  to-day  flings  his  flower  into  the  common  grave, 
which  contains  the  black  mummy  of  his  father — and 
shall  the  daughter  of  Rameses,  and  the  wife  of  the 
chief  charioteer,  be  excluded  from  bringing  garlands  to 
their  dead?" 


56  UARDA. 

"  I  shall  defile  the  tomb  by  my  presence,"  said 
Bent-Anat  coloring. 

"  You — you  !"  exclaimed  Rameri,  throwing  his  arms 
round  his  sister's  neck,  and  kissing  her.  "  You,  a  noble 
generous  creature,  who  live  only  to  ease  sorrow  and 
to  wipe  away  tears ;  you,  the  very  image  of  my  father 
— unclean  !  sooner  would  I  believe  that  the  swans  down 
there  are  as  black  as  crows,  and  the  rose- wreaths  on  the 
balcony  rank  hemlock  branches.  Bek-en-Chunsu  pro- 
nounced you  clean,  and  if  Ameni — " 

"  Ameni  only  exercises  his  rights,"  said  Bent-Anat 
gently,  "  and  you  know  what  we  have  resolved.  I  will 
not  hear  one  hard  word  about  him  to-day." 

"  Very  well !  he  has  graciously  and  mercifully  kept 
us  from  the  feast,"  said  Rameri  ironically,  and  he 
bowed  low  in  the  direction  of  the  Necropolis,  "and  you 
are  unclean.  Do  not  enter  the  tombs  and  the  temples 
on  my  account;  let  us  stay  outside  among  the  people. 
The  roads  over  there  are  not  so  very  sensitive;  para- 
schites  and  other  unclean  folks  pass  over  them  every 
day.  Be  sensible,  Bent-Anat,  and  come.  We  will  dis- 
guise ourselves ;  I  will  conduct  you ;  I  will  lay  the  gar- 
lands in  the  tombs,  we  will  pray  together  outside,  we 
will  see  the  sacred  procession  and  the  feats  of  the 
magicians,  and  hear  the  festive  discourse.  Only  think ! 
Pentaur,  in  spite  of  all  they  have  said  against  him,  is 
to  deliver  it.  The  temple  of  Seti  wants  to  do  its  best 
to-day,  and  Ameni  knows  very  well  that  Pentaur,  when 
he  opens  his  mouth,  stirs  the  hearts  of  the  people  more 
than  all  the  sages  together  if  they  were  to  sing  in 
chorus  !  Come  with  me,  sister." 

"So  be  it  then,"  said  Bent-Anat  with  sudden  de- 
cision. 


UARDA.  57 

Rameri  was  surprised  at  this  quick  resolve,  at  which 
however  he  was  delighted;  but  Nefert  looked  anxiously 
at  her  friend.  In  a  moment  her  eyes  fell;  she  knew 
now  who  it  was  that  her  friend  loved,  and  the  fearful 
thought — "  How  will  it  end  ?  "  flashed  through  her  mind. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

AN  hour  later  a  tall,  plainly  dressed  woman  crossed 
the  Nile,  with  a  dark-skinned  boy  and  a  slender  youth  by 
her  side.  The  wrinkles  on  her  brow  and  cheeks  agreed 
little  with  her  youthful  features;  but  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  recognize  in  these  three  the  proud  princess, 
the  fair  young  prince,  and  the  graceful  Nefert,  who 
looked  as  charming  as  ever  in  the  long  white  robe  of  a 
temple-student. 

They  were  followed  by  two  faithful  and  sturdy 
head-servants  from  among  the  litter-bearers  of  the 
princess,  who  were  however  commanded  to  appear  as 
though  they  were  not  in  any  way  connected  with  their 
mistress  and  her  companions. 

The  passage  across  the  Nile  had  been  accomplished 
but  slowly,  and  thus  the  royal  personages  had  ex- 
perienced for  the  first  time  some  of  the  many  difficulties 
and  delays  which  ordinary  mortals  must  conquer  to  at- 
tain objects  which  almost  fly  to  meet  their  rulers.  No 
one  preceded  them  to  clear  the  river,  no  other  vessel 
made  way  for  them;  on  the  contrary,  all  tried  to  take 
place  ahead  of  them,  and  to  reach  the  opposite  shore 
before  them. 

When  at  last  they  reached  the  landing-place,  the 
procession  had  already  passed  on  to  the  temple  of  Seti; 
26 


58  UARDA. 

Ameni  had  met  it  with  his  chorus  of  singers,  and  had 
received  the  God  on  the  shore  of  the  Nile;  the  prophets 
of  the  Necropolis  had  with  their  own  hands  placed  him 
in  the  sacred  Sam-bark*  of  the  House  of  Seti,  which  was 
artistically  constructed  of  cedar  wood  and  electrum  set 
with  jewels;  thirty  pastophori  took  the  precious  burden 
on  their  shoulders,  and  bore  it  up  the  avenue  of  Sphinxes 
— which  led  from  the  river  to  the  temple — into  the 
sanctuary  of  Seti,  where  Amon  remained  while  the  emis- 
saries from  the  different  provinces  deposited  their  offer- 
ings in  the  forecourt.  On  his  road  from  the  shore 
kolchytes**  had  run  before  him,  in  accordance  with 
ancient  custom,  strewing  sand  in  his  path. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  the  procession  once  more 
emerged  into  the  open  air,  and  turning  to  the  south, 
rested  first  in  the  enormous  temple  of  Amenophis  III. r 
in  front  of  which  the  two  giant  statues  stood  as  sentinels 
— they  still  remain,  the  colossi  of  the  Nile  valley.  Far- 
ther to  the  south  it  reached  the  temple  of  Thotmes  the 
Great,***  then,  turning  round,  it  clung  to  the  eastern 
face  of  the  Libyan  hillst — pierced  with  tombs  and  cata- 
combs; it  mounted  the  terraces  of  the  temple  of  Hatasu, 
and  paused  by  the  tombs  of  the  oldest  kingstt  which  are 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood;  thus  by  sunset  it  had 
reached  the  scene  of  the  festival  itself,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  valley  in  which  the  tomb  of  Setittt  had  been  made, 


*  The  sacred  vessel  of  the  God  is  so  called  in  a  picture  still  extant  at 
Qurnah. 

**  Peyron,  Papyri  Graeci  regii  Taurinenses,  t.  I,  p.  41,  42,  85-88. 
***  The  oldest  portion  of  the  temple  of  Medinct  Abu.       Lepstus  and  Rhind 
(Thebes,  and  its  Temples)  both  give  plans  which  make  the  path  of  procession 
easy  to  trace,  L.epsius,  "  Denkmiiler  aus  Egypten,"  is  a  splendid  work  in  lulu;. 
t  The  modern  Qumet  Mnrrai  and  Abd  el  Qurnah. 
tt  The  modern  el  Assassif  and  Drah  abu'l  Negga. 
fit  The  modern  Biban  el  Muluk. 


UARDA.  59 

and  in  whose  westernmost  recesses  were  some  of  the 
graves  of  the  Pharaohs  of  the  deposed  race. 

This  part  of  the  Necropolis  was  usually  visited  by 
lamp-light,  and  under  the  flare  of  torches,  before  the  re- 
turn of  the  God  to  his  own  temple  and  the  mystery -play 
on  the  sacred  lake,  which  did  not  begin  till  midnight. 

Behind  the  God,  in  a  vase  of  transparent  crystal, 
and  borne  high  on  a  pole  that  all  the  multitude  might 
see  it,  was  the  heart  of  the  sacred  ram. 

Our  friends,  after  they  had  laid  their  wreaths  on  the 
magnificent  altars  of  their  royal  ancestors  without  being 
recognized,  late  in  the  afternoon  joined  the  throng  who 
followed  the  procession.  They  mounted  the  eastern 
cliff  of  the  hills  close  by  the  tomb  of  Mena's  forefathers, 
which  a  prophet  of  Amon,  named  Neferhotep — Mena's 
great-grandfather — had  constructed.  Its  narrow  door- 
way was  besieged  by  a  crowd,  for  within  the  first  of  the 
rock-chambers  of  which  it  consisted,  a  harper  was  sing- 
ing a  dirge  for  the  long-since  buried  prophet,  his  wife  and 
his  sister.  The  song  had  been  composed  by  the  poet 
attached  to  his  house;  it  was  graven  in  the  stone  of  the 
second  rock-room  of  the  tomb,  and  Neferhotep  had  left 
a  plot  of  ground  in  trust  to  the  Necropolis,  with  the 
charge  of  administering  its  revenues  for  the  payment  of 
a  minstrel,  who  every  year  at  the  feast  of  the  dead  should 
sing  the  monody  to  the  accompaniment  of  his  lute.* 

The  charioteer  well  knew  this  dirge  for  his  ancestor, 
and  had  often  sung  it  to  Nefert,  who  had  accompanied 
him  on  her  lute;  for  in  their  hours  of  joy  also — nay  es- 
pecially— the  Egyptians  were  wont  to  remember  their 
dead. 

*  The  tomb  of  Neferhotep  is  well  preserved,  and  in  it  the  inscription  from 
which  this  monody  is  translated. 


60  UARDA. 

Now  the  three  companions  listened  to  the  minstrel 
as  he  sang: 


'  Now  the  great  man  is  at  rest, 
Gone  to  practise  sweeter  duties. 
Those  that  die  are  the  elect 
Since  the  Gods  have  left  the  earth. 
Old  men  pass  and  young  men  come ; 
Yea,  a  new  Sun  rises  daily 
When  the  old  sun  has  found  rest 
In  the  bosom  of  the  night. 

Hail,  O  Prophet !  on  this  feast  day 
Odorous  balsams,  fragrant  resins 
Here  we  bring — and  offer  garlands, 
Throwing  flowers  down  before  thee, 
And  before  thy  much-loved  sister, 
Who  has  found  her  rest  beside  thee. 

Songs  we  sing,  and  strike  the  lyre 
To  thy  memory,  and  thine  honor. 
All  our  cares  are  now  forgotten, 
Joy  and  hope  our  breasts  are  filling ; 
For  the  day  of  our  departure 
Now  draws  near,  and  in  the  silence 
Of  the  farther  shore  is  rest." 


When  the  song  ceased,  several  people  pressed  into 
the  little  oratory  to  express  their  gratitude  to  the  de- 
ceased prophet  by  laying  a  few  flowers  on  his  altar. 
Nefert  and  Rameri  also  went  in,  and  when  Nefert  had 
offered  a  long  and  silent  prayer  to  the  glorified  spirits 
of  her  dead,  that  they  might  watch  over  Mena,  she  laid 
her  garland  beside  the  grave  in  which  her  husband's 
mother  rested. 

Many  members  of  the  court  circle  passed  close  to 
the  royal  party  without  recognizing  them;  they  made 
every  effort  to  reach  the  scene  of  the  festival,  but  the 
crowd  was  so  great  that  the  ladies  had  several  times  to 
get  into  a  tomb  to  avoid  it.  In  each  they  found  the 
altar  loaded  with  offerings,  and,  in  most,  family-parties, 
who  here  remembered  their  dead,  with  meat  and  fruits, 


UARDA.  6l 

beer  and  wine,  as  though  they  were  departed  travellers 
•who  had  found  some  far  off  rest,  and  whom  they  hoped 
sooner  or  later  to  see  again. 

The  sun  was  near  setting  when  at  last  the  princess 
and  her  companions  reached  the  spot  where  the  feast 
was  being  held.  Here  stood  numbers  of  stalls  and 
booths,  with  eatables  of  every  sort,  particularly  sweet 
cakes  for  the  children,  dates,  figs,  pomegranates,  and  other 
fruits.  Under  light  awnings,  which  kept  off  the  sun,  were 
sold  sandals  and  kerchiefs  of  every  material  and  hue, 
ornaments,  amulets,  fans,  and  sun-shades,  sweet  essences 
of  every  kind,  and  other  gifts  for  offerings  or  for  the 
toilet.  The  baskets  of  the  gardeners  and  flower-girls 
were  already  empty,  but  the  money-changers  were  full 
of  business,  and  the  tavern  and  gambling  booths  were 
driving  a  brisk  trade. 

Friends  and  acquaintances  greeted  each  other  kindly, 
while  the  children  showed  each  other  their  new  sandals, 
the  cakes  they  had  won  at  the  games,  or  the  little 
copper  rings  they  had  had  given  to  them,  and  which 
must  now  be  laid  out.  The  largest  crowd  was  gathered 
to  see  the  magicians  from  the  House  of  Seti,  round 
which  the  mob  squatted  on  the  ground  in  a  compact 
circle,  and  the  children  were  good-naturedly  placed  in 
the  front  row. 

When  Bent-Anat  reached  the  place  all  the  religious 
solemnity  was  ended. 

There  stood  the  canopy  under  which  the  king  and 
his  family  were  used  to  listen  to  the  festal  discourse, 
and  under  its  shade  sat  to-day  the  Regent  Ani.  They 
could  see  too  the  seats  of  the  grandees,  and  the  barriers 
which  kept  the  people  at  a  distance  from  the  Regent, 
the  priests^  and  the  nobles. 


62  UARDA. 

Here  Ameni  himself  had  announced  to  the  multi- 
tude the  miracle  of  the  sacred  heart,  and  had  pro- 
claimed that  a  new  Apis  had  been  found  among  the 
herds  of  the  Regent  Ani. 

His  announcement  of  these  divine  tokens  had  been 
repeated  from  mouth  to  mouth;  they  were  omens  of 
peace  and  happiness  for  the  country  through  the  means 
of  a  favorite  of  the  Gods ;  and  though  no  one  said  it, 
the  dullest  could  not  fail  to  see  that  this  favorite  was 
none  other  than  Ani,  the  descendant  of  the  great  Ha- 
tasu,  whose  prophet  had  been  graced  by  the  transfer  to 
him  of  the  heart  of  the  sacred  ram.  All  eyes  were 
fixed  on  Ani,  who  had  sacrificed  before  all  the  people 
to  the  sacred  heart,  and  received  the  high-priest's 
blessing. 

Pentaur,  too,  had  ended  his  discourse  when  Bent- 
Anat  reached  the  scene  of  the  festival.  She  heard  an 
old  man  say  to  his  son : 

"  Life  is  hard.  It  often  seems  to  me  like  a  heavy 
burden  laid  on  our  poor  backs  by  the  cruel  Gods ;  but 
when  I  heard  the  young  priest  from  the  House  of  Seti, 
I  felt  that,  after  all,  the  Immortals  are  good,  and  we 
have  much,  to  thank  them  for." 

In  another  place  a  priest's  wife  said  to  her  son : 

"  Could  you  see  Pentaur  well,  Hor-Uza?  He  is  of 
humble  birth,  but  he  stands  above  the  greatest  in 
genius  and  gifts,  and  will  rise  to  high  things." 

Two  girls  were  speaking  together,  and  one  said  to 
the  other : 

"  The  speaker  is  the  handsomest  man  I  ever  saw, 
and  his  voice  sounds  like  soft  music." 

"And  how  his  eyes  shone  when  he  spoke  of  truth 


UARDA.  63 

as  the  highest  of  all  virtues  !"  replied  the  other.  "  All 
the  Gods,  I  believe,  must  dwell  in  him." 

Bent-Anat  colored  as  these  words  fell  on  her  ear. 
It  was  growing  dark,  and  she  wished  to  return  home : 
but  Rameri  wished  to  follow  the  procession  as  it 
inarched  through  the  western  valley  by  torch-light,  so 
that  the  grave  of  his  grandfather  Seti  should  also  be 
visited.  The  princess  unwillingly  yielded,  but  it  would 
in  any  case  have  been  difficult  to  reach  the  river  while 
every  one  was  rushing  in  the  opposite  direction ;  so 
the  two  ladies,  and  Rameri,  let  themselves  be  carried 
along  by  the  crowd,  and  by  the  time  the  daylight  was 
gone,  they  found  themselves  in  the  western  valley, 
where  to-night  no  beasts  of  prey  dared  show  them- 
selves; jackals  and  hyaenas  had  fled  before  the  glare 
of  the  torches,  and  the  lanterns  made  of  colored 
papyrus. 

The  smoke  of  the  torches  mingled  with  the  dust 
stirred  by  a  thousand  feet,  and  the  procession  moved 
along,  as  it  were,  in  a  cloud,  which  also  shrouded  the 
multitude  that  followed. 

The  three  companions  had  labored  on  as  far  as 
the  hovel  of  the  paraschites  Pinem,  but  here  they  were 
forced  to  pause,  for  guards  drove  back  the  crowd  to 
the  right  and  left  witli  long  staves,  to  clear  a  passage 
for  the  procession  as  it  approached. 

"  See,  Rameri,"  said  Bent-Anat,  pointing  out  the 
little  yard  of  the  hut  which  stood  only  a  few  paces 
from  them.  "  That  is  where  the  fair,  white  girl  lives, 
whom  I  ran  over.  But  she  is  much  better.  Turn 
round;  there,  behind  the  thorn-hedge,  by  the  little  fire 
which  shines  full  in  your  face — there  she  sits,  with  her 
grandfather." 


64  UARDA. 

The  prince  stood  on  tip-toe,  looked  into  the  humble 
plot  of  ground,  and  then  said  in  a  subdued  voice : 

"  What  a  lovely  creature !  But  what  is  she  doing 
with  the  old  man  ?  He  seems  to  be  praying,  and 
she  first  holds  a  handkerchief  before  his  mouth, 
and  then  rubs  his  temples.  And  how  unhappy  she 
looks !" 

"  The  paraschites  must  be  ill,"  replied  Bent-Anat. 

"  He  must  have  had  too  much  wine  down  at  the 
feast,''  said  Rameri  laughing.  "  No  doubt  of  it !  Only 
look  how  his  lips  tremble,  and  his  eyes  roll.  It  is 
hideous — he  looks  like  one  possessed."* 

"  He  is  unclean  too  !"  said  Nefert. 

"  But  he  is  a  good,  kind  man,  with  a  tender 
heart,"  exclaimed  the  princess  eagerly.  "  I  have  en- 
quired about  him.  He  is  honest  and  sober,  and  I  am 
sure  he  is  ill  and  not  drunk." 

"  Now  she  is  standing  up,"  said  Rameri,  and  he 
dropped  the  paper-lantern  which  he  had  bought  at  a 
booth.  "  Step  back,  Bent-Anat,  she  must  be  expecting 
some  one.  Did  you  ever  see  any  one  so  very  fair, 
and  with  such  a  pretty  little  head.  Even  her  red  hair 
becomes  her  wonderfully ;  but  she  staggers  as  she 
stands — she  must  be  very  weak.  Now  she  has  sat  down 
again  by  the  old  man,  and  is  rubbing  his  forehead. 
Poor  souls  !  look  how  she  is  sobbing.  I  will  throw  my 
purse  over  to  them." 

"  No,  no  !"  exclaimed  Bent-Anat.  "  I  gave  them 
plenty  of  money,  and  the  tears  which  are  shed  there 

*  It  was  thought  that  the  insane  were  possessed  by  demons.  A  stele  ad- 
mirably treated  by  E.  de  Rouge  exists  at  Paris,  which  relates  that  the  sister-in 
law  of'Rameses  XII.,  who  was  possessed  by  devils,  had  them  driven  out  by  the 
statue  of  Chunsu,  which  was  sent  to  her  in  Asia. 


UARDA.  65 

cannot  be  staunched  with  gold.  I  will  send  old  Asnath 
over  to-morrow  to  ask  how  we  can  help  them.  Look, 
here  comes  the  procession,  Nefert.  How  rudely  the 
people  press !  As  soon  as  the  God  is  gone  by  we  will 
go  home." 

"  Pray  do,"  said  Nefert.  "  I  am  so  frightened  !"  and 
she  pressed  trembling  to  the  side  of  the  princess. 

"  I  wish  we  were  at  home,  too,"  replied  Bent- 
Anat. 

"Only  look!"  said  Rameri.  "  There  they  are.  Is 
it  not  splendid  ?  And  how  the  heart  shines,  as  if  it 
were  a  star!" 

All  the  crowd,  and  with  them  our  three  friends, 
fell  on  their  knees. 

The  procession  paused  opposite  to  them,  as  it  did 
at  every  thousand  paces;  a  herald  came  forward,  and 
glorified,  in  a  loud  voice,  the  great  miracle,  to  which 
now  another  was  added — the  sacred  heart  since  the 
night  had  come  on  had  begun  to  give  out  light. 

Since  his  return  home  from  the  embalming  house, 
the  paraschites  had  taken  no  nourishment,  and  had 
not  answered  a  word  to  the  anxious  questions  of  the 
two  frightened  women.  He  stared  blindly,  muttered 
a  few  unintelligible  words,  and  often  clasped  his  fore- 
head in  his  hand.  A  few  hours  before  he  had  laughed 
loud  and  suddenly,  and  his  wife,  greatly  alarmed,  had 
gone  at  once  to  fetch  the  physician  Nebsecht. 

During  her  absence  Uarda  was  to  rub  her  grand- 
father's temples  with  the  leaves  which  the  witch  Hekt 
had  laid  on  her  bruises,  for  as  they  had  once  proved 
efficacious  they  might  perhaps  a  second  time  scare 
away  the  demon  of  sickness. 


66  UARDA. 

When  the  procession,  with  its  thousand  lamps  and 
torches,  paused  before  the  hovel,  which  was  almost 
invisible  in  the  dusk,  and  one  citizen  said  to  another : 
"Here  conies  the  sacred  heart!"  the  old  man  started, 
and  stood  up.  His  eyes  stared  fixedly  at  the  gleaming 
relic  in  its  crystal  case;  slowly,  trembling  in  every 
limb,  and  with  outstretched  neck  he  stood  up. 

The  herald  began  his  eulogy  of  the  miracle. 

Then,  while  all  the  people  were  prostrate  in 
adoration,  listening  motionless  to  the  loud  voice  of  the 
speaker,  the  paraschites  rushed  out  of  his  gate,  striking 
his  forehead  with  his  fists,  and  opposite  the  sacred 
heart,  he  broke  out  into  a  mad,  loud  fit  of  scornful 
langhter,  which  re-echoed  from  the  bare  cliffs  that 
closed  in  the  valley. 

Horror. fell  on  the  crowd,  who  rose  timidly  from 
their  knees. 

Ameni,  who  was  close  behind  the  heart,  started 
too,  and  looked  round  on  the  author  of  this  hideous 
laugh.  He  had  never  seen  the  paraschites,  but  he  per- 
ceived the  glimmer  of  his  little  fire  through  the  dust 
and  gloom,  and  he  knew  that  he  lived  in  this  place. 
The  whole  case  struck  him  at  once ;  lie  whispered  a  few 
significant  words  to  one  of  the  officers  who  marched 
with  the  troops  on  each  side  of  the  procession ;  then 
he  gave  the  signal,  and  the  procession  moved  on  as  if 
nothing  had  happened. 

The  old  man  tried  with  still  more  loud  and  cra/y 
laughter  to  reach  and  seize  the  heart,  but  the  crowd 
kept  him  back ;  and  while  the  last  groups  passed  on 
after  the  priests,  he  contrived  to  slip  back  as  far  as 
the  door  of  his  hovel,  though  much  damaged  and  hurt. 


UARDA.  67 

There  he  fell,  and  Uarda  rushed  out  and  threw  her- 
self over  the  old  man,  who  lay  on  the  earth,  scarcely 
recognizable  in  the  dust  and  darkness. 

"  Crush  the  scoffer !" 

"  Tear  him  in  pieces !" 

"  Burn  down  the  foul  den  !" 

"  Throw  him  and  the  wench  into  the  fire !"  shouted 
the  people  who  had  been  disturbed  in  their  devotions, 
with  wild  fury. 

Two  old  women  snatched  the  lanterns  from  the 
posts,  and  flung  them  at  the  unfortunate  creatures, 
while  an  Ethiopian  soldier  seized  Uarda  by  the  hair, 
and  tore  her  away  from  her  grandfather. 

At  this  moment  Pinem's  wife  appeared,  and  with 
her  Pentaur.  She  had  found  not  Nebsecht,  but  Pen- 
taur,  who  had  returned  to  the  temple  after  his  speech. 
She  had  told  him  of  the  demon  who  had  fallen  upon 
her  husband,  and  implored  him  to  come  with  her. 
Pentaur  immediately  followed  her  in  his  working  dress, 
just  as  he  was,  without  putting  on  the  white  priest's 
robe,  which  he  did  not  wish  to  wear  on  this  expedition. 

When  they  drew  near  to  the  paraschites'  hovel,  he 
perceived  the  tumult  among  the  people,  and,  loud 
above  all  the  noise,  heard  Uarda's  shrill  cry  of  terror. 
He  hurried  forward,  and  -in  the  dull  light  of  the 
scattered  fire-brands  and  colored  lanterns,  he  saw  the 
black  hand  of  the  soldier  clutching  the  hair  of  the 
helpless  child;  quick  as  thought  lie  gripped  the  soldier's 
throat  with  his  iron  fingers,  seized  him  round  the  body, 
swung  him  in  the  air,  and  flung  him  like  a  block  of 
stone  right  into  the  little  yard  of  the  hut. 

The  people  threw  themselves  on  the  champion  in 
a  frenzy  of  rage,  but  he  felt  a  sudden  warlike  impulse 


68  UARDA. 

surging  up  in  him,  which  he  had  never  felt  before. 
With  one  wrench  he  pulled  out  the  heavy  wooden 
pole,  which  supported  the  awning  which  the  old  para- 
schites  had  put  up  for  his  sick  grandchild ;  he  swung 
it  round  his  head,  as  if  it  were  a  reed,  driving  back 
the  crowd,  while  he  called  co  Uarda  to  keep  close  to 
him. 

"  He  who  touches  the  child  is  a  dead  man  !"  he 
cried.  ''  Shame  on  you  ! — falling  on  a  feeble  old  man 
and  a  helpless  child  in  the  middle  of  a  holy  festival !" 

For  a  moment  the  crowd  was  silent,  but  imme- 
diately after  rushed  forward  with  fresh  impetus,  and 
wilder  than  ever  rose  the  shouts  of: 

"  Tear  him  to  pieces  !  burn  his  house  down  !" 

A  few  artisans  from  Thebes  closed  round  the 
poet,  who  was  not  recognizable  as  a  priest.  He,  how- 
ever, wielding  his  tent-pole,  felled  them  before  they 
could  reach  him  with  their  fists  or  cudgels,  and  down 
went  every  man  on  whom  it  fell.  But  the  struggle 
could  not  last  long,  for  some  of  his  assailants  sprang 
over  the  fence,  and  attacked  him  in  the  rear.  And 
now  Pentaur  was  distinctly  visible  against  a  background 
of  flaring  light,  for  some  fire-brands  had  fallen  on  the 
dry  palm-thatch  of  the  hovel  behind  him,  and  roaring- 
flames  rose  up  to  the  dark  heavens. 

The  poet  heard  the  threatening  blaze  behind  him. 
He  put  his  left  hand  round  the  head  of  the  trembling 
girl,  who  crouched  beside  him,  and  feeling  that  now 
they  both  were  lost,  but  that  to  his  latest  breath  he 
must  protect  the  innocence  and  life  of  this  frail  crea- 
ture, with  his  right  hand  he  once  more  desperately 
swung  the  heavy  stake. 

But  it   was   for   the  last   time:    for  two   men    sue- 


UARDA.  69 

ceeded  in  clutching  the  weapon,  others  came  to  their 
support,  and  wrenched  it  from  his  hand,  while  the 
mob  closed  upon  him,  furious  but  unarmed,  and  not 
without  great  fear  of  the  enormous  strength  of  their 
opponent. 

Uarda  clung  to  her  protector  with  shortened  breath, 
and  trembling  like  a  hunted  antelope.  Pentaur  groaned 
when  he  felt  himself  disarmed,  but  at  that  instant  a 
youth  stood  by  his  side,  as  if  he  had  sprung  from  the 
earth,  who  put  into  his  hand  the  sword  of  the  fallen 
soldier — who  lay  near  his  feet — and  who  then,  leaning 
his  back  against  Pentaur's,  faced  the  foe  on  the  other 
side.  Pentaur  pulled  himself  together,  sent  out  a 
battle-cry  like  some  fighting  hero  who  is  defending 
his  last  stronghold,  and  brandished  his  new  weapon. 
He  stood  with  flaming  eyes,  like  a  lion  at  bay,  and 
for  a  moment  the  enemy  gave  way,  for  his  young  ally, 
Rameri,  had  taken  a  hatchet,  and  held  it  up  in  a 
threatening  manner. 

"  The  cowardly  murderers  are  flinging  fire-brands," 
cried  the  prince.  "Come  here,  girl,  and  I  will  put  out 
the  pitch  on  your  dress." 

He  seized  Uarda's  hand,  drew  her  to  him,  and 
hastily  put  out  the  flame,  while  Pentaur  protected  them 
with  his  sword. 

The  prince  and  the  poet  stood  thus  back  to  back 
for  a  few  moments,  when  a  stone  struck  Pentaur's 
head;  he  staggered,  and  the  crowd  were  rushing  upon 
him,  when  the  little  fence  was  torn  away  by  a  deter- 
mined hand,  a  tall  womanly  form  appeared  on  the 
scene  of  combat,  and  cried  to  the  astonished  mob : 

"Have  done  with  this!  I  command  you!  I  am 
Bent-Anat,  the  daughter  of  Rameses." 


70  UARDA. 

The  angry  crowd  gave  way  in  sheer  astonishment. 

Pentaur  had  recovered  from  the  stunning  blow,  but 
he  thought  he  must  be  under  some  illusion.  He  felt 
as  if  he  must  throw  himself  on  his  knees  before  Bent- 
Anat,  but  his  mind  had  been  trained  under  Ameni  to 
rapid  reflection;  he  realized,  in  a  flash  of  thought,  the 
princess's  position,  and  instead  of  bowing  before  her 
he  exclaimed: 

"Whoever  this  woman  may  be,  good  folks,  she  is 
not  Bent-Anat  the  princess,  but  I,  though  I  have  no 
white  robe  on,  am  a  priest  of  Seti,  named  Pentaur,  and 
the  Cherheb  of  to-day's  festival.  Leave  this  spot,  wo- 
man, I  command  you,  in  right  of  my  sacred  office." 

And  Bent-Anat  obeyed. 

Pentaur  was  saved;  for  just  as  the  people  began 
to  recover  from  their  astonishment — just  as  those  whom 
he  had  hurt  were  once  more  inciting  the  mob  to  fight 
— just  as  a  boy,  whose  hand  he  had  crushed,  was 
crying  out:  "He  is  not  a  priest,  he  is  a  sword's-man. 
Down  with  the  liar!" — 

A  voice  from  the  crowd  exclaimed: 

"  Make  way  for  my  white  robe,  and  leave  the  preacher 
Pentaur  alone,  he  is  my  friend.  You  most  of  you  know 
me." 

"You  are  Nebsecht  the  leech,  who  set  my  broken 
leg,"  cried  a  sailor. 

"And  cured  my  bad  eye,"  said  a  weaver. 

"That  tall  handsome  man  is  Pentaur,  I  know  him 
well,"  cried  the  girl,  whose  opinion  had  been  overheard 
by  Bent-Anat. 

"Preacher  this,  preacher  that!"  shouted  the  boy, 
and  he  would  have  rushed  forward,  but  the  people 
held  him  back,  and  divided  respectfully  at  Nebsecht's 


UARDA.  7 1 

command  to  make  way  for  him  to  get  at  those  who 
had  been  hurt. 

First  he  stooped  over  the  old  paraschites. 

"Shame  upon  you!"  he  exclaimed.  "You  have 
killed  the  old  man." 

"And  I,"  said  Pentaur,  "Have  dipped  my  peaceful 
hand  in  blood  to  save  his  innocent  and  suffering  grand- 
child from  a  like  fate." 

"Scorpions,  vipers,  venomous  reptiles,  scum  of 
men ! "  shrieked  Nebsecht,  and  he  sprang  wildly  for- 
ward, seeking  Uarda.  When  he  saw  her  sitting  safe 
at  the  feet  of  old  Hekt,  who  had  made  her  way  into 
the  courtyard,  he  drew  a  deep  breath  of  relief,  and 
turned  his  attention  to  the  wounded. 

"  Did  you  knock  down  all  that  are  lying  here  ?  "  he 
whispered  to  his  friend. 

Pentaur  nodded  assent  and  smiled;  but  not  in 
triumph,  rather  in  shame ;  like  a  boy,  who  has  uninten- 
tionally squeezed  to  death  in  his  hand  a  bird  he  has 
caught. 

Nebsecht  looked  round  astonished  and  anxious. 

"Why  did  you  not  say  who  you  were?"     he  asked. 

"Because  the  spirit  of  the  God  Menth  possessed 
me,"  answered  Pentaur.  "  When  I  saw  that  accursed 
villain  there  with  his  hand  in  the  girl's  hair,  I  heard 
and  saw  nothing,  I — " 

"You  did  right,"  interrupted  Nebsecht.  "But 
where  will  all  this  end  ?  " 

At  this  moment  a  flourish  of  trumpets  rang  through 
the  little  valley.  The  officer  sent  by  Ameni  to  ap- 
prehend the  paraschites  came  up  with  his  soldiers. 

Before  he  entered  the  court-yard  he  ordered  the 
crowd  to  disperse;  the  refractory  were  driven  away  by 


72  UARDA. 

force,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  valley  was  cleared  of 
the  howling  and  shouting  mob,  and  the  burning  house 
was  surrounded  by  soldiers.  Bent-Anat,  Rameri,  and 
Nefert  were  obliged  to  quit  their  places  by  the  fence; 
Rameri,  so  soon  as  he  saw  that  Uarda  was  safe,  had 
rejoined  his  sister. 

Nefert  was  almost  fainting  with  fear  and  excite- 
ment. The  two  servants,  who  had  kept  near  them,  knit 
their  hands  together,  and  thus  carried  her  in  advance 
of  the  princess.  Not  one  of  them  spoke  a  word,  not 
even  Rameri,  who  could  not  forget  Uarda,  and  the 
look  of  gratitude  she  had  sent  after  him.  Once  only 
Bent-Anat  said: 

"The  hovel  is  burnt  down.  Where  will  the  poor 
souls  sleep  to-night?" 

When  the  valley  was  clear,  the  officer  entered  the 
yard,  and  found  there,  besides  Uarda  and  the  witch 
Hekt,  the  poet,  and  Nebsecht,  who  was  engaged  in 
tending  the  wounded. 

Pentaur  shortly  narrated  the  affair  to  the  captain, 
and  named  himself  to  him. 

The  soldier  offered  him  his  hand. 

"  If  there  were  many  men  in  Rameses'  army,"  said 
he,  "  who  could  strike  such  a  blow  as  you,  the  war 
with  the  Cheta  would  soon  be  at  an  end.  But  you 
have  struck  down,  not  Asiatics,  but  citizens  of  Thebes, 
and,  much  as  I  regret  it,  I  must  take  you  as  a  prisoner 
to  Ameni." 

"You  only  do  your  duty,"  replied  Pentaur,  bowing 
to  the  captain,  who  ordered  his  men  to  take  up  the 
body  of  the  paraschites,  and  to  bear  it  to  the  temple 
of  Seti. 


UARDA,  73 

"  I  ought  to  take  the  girl  in  charge  too,"  he 
added,  turning  to  Pentaur. 

"  She  is  ill,"  replied  the  poet. 

"  And  if  she  does  not  get  some  rest,"  added  Neb- 
secht,  "  she  will  be  dead.  Leave  her  alone ;  she  is 
under  the  particular  protection  of  the  princess  Bent- 
Anat,  who  ran  over  her  not  long  ago." 

"  I  will  take  her  into  my  house,"  said  Hekt,  "  and 
will  take  care  of  her.  Her  grandmother  is  lying  there; 
she  was  half  choked  by  the  flames,  but  she  will  soon 
come  to  herself — and  I  have  room  for  both." 

"Till  to-morrow,"  replied  the  surgeon.  "Then  I 
will  provide  another  shelter  for  her." 

The  old  woman  laughed  and  muttered :  "  There 
are  plenty  of  folks  to  take  care  of  her,  it  seems." 

The  soldiers  obeyed  the  command  of  their  leader, 
took  up  the  wounded,  and  went  away  with  Pentaur, 
and  the  body  of  Pinem. 

Meanwhile,  Bent-Anat  and  her  party  had  with 
much  difficulty  reached  the  river-bank.  One  of  the 
bearers  was  sent  to  find  the  boat  which  was  waiting 
for  them,  and  he  was  enjoined  to  make  haste,  for 
already  they  could  see  the  approach  of  the  procession, 
which  escorted  the  God  on  his  return  journey.  If  they 
could  not  succeed  in  finding  their  boat  without  delay, 
they  must  wait  at  least  an  hour,  for,  at  night,  not  a 
boat  that  did  not  belong  to  the  train  of  Amon — not 
even  the  barge  of  a  noble — might  venture  from  shore 
till  the  whole  procession  was  safe  across. 

They  awaited  the  messenger's  signal  in  the  greatest 
anxiety,  for  Nefert  was  perfectly  exhausted,  and  Bent- 
27 


74  UARDA. 

Anat,  on  whom  she  leaned,  felt  her  trembling  in  every 
limb. 

At  last  the  bearer  gave  the  signal ;  the  swift,  almost 
invisible  bark,  which  was  generally  used  for  wild  fowl 
shooting,  shot  by — Rameri  seized  one  end  of  an  oar 
that  the  rower  held  out  to  him,  and  drew  the  little 
boat  up  to  the  landing-place. 

The  captain  of  the  watch  passed  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, and  shouting  out,  "  This  is  the  last  boat  that  can 
put  off  before  the  passage  of  the  God !" 

Bent-Anat  descended  the  steps  as  quickly  as 
Nefert's  exhausted  state  permitted.  The  landing-place 
was  now  only  dimly  lighted  by  dull  lanterns,  though, 
when  the  God  embarked,  it  would  be  as  light  as  day 
with  cressets  and  torches.  Before  she  could  reach 
the  bottom  step,  with  Nefert  still  clinging  heavily  to  her 
arm,  a  hard  hand  was  laid  on  her  shoulder,  and  the 
rough  voice  of  Paaker  exclaimed  : 

"  Stand  back,  you  rabble !     We  are  going  first." 

The  captain  of  the  watch  did  not  stop  him,  for  he 
knew  the  chief  pioneer  and  his  overbearing  ways. 
Paaker  put  his  finger  to  his  lips,  and  gave  a  shrill 
whistle  that  sounded  like  a  yell  in  the  silence. 

The  stroke  of  oars  responded  to  the  call,  and 
Paaker  called  out  to  his  boatmen  : 

"  Bring  the  boat  up  here  !  these  people  can  wait !" 

The  pioneer's  boat  was  larger  and  better  manned 
than  that  of  the  princess. 

"  Jump  into  the  boat !"  cried  Rameri. 

Bent-Anat  went  forward  without  speaking,  for  she 
did  not  wish  to  make  herself  known  again  for  the  sake 
of  the  people,  and  for  Nefert's ;  but  Paaker  put  himself 
in  her  way. 


UARDA.  75 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  you  common  people  must 
wait  till  we  are  gone.  Push  these  people's  boat  out 
into  the  stream,  you  men." 

Bent-Anat  felt  her  blood  chill,  for  a  loud  squabble 
at  once  began  on  the  landing-steps. 

Rameri's  voice  sounded  louder  than  all  the  rest; 
but  the  pioneer  exclaimed : 

"  The  low  brutes  dare  to  resist  ?  I  will  teach  them 
manners !  Here,  Descher,  look  after  the  woman  and 
these  boys!" 

At  his  call  his  great  red  hound  barked  and  sprang 
forward,  which,  as  it  had  belonged  to  his  father,  always 
accompanied  him  when  he  went  with  his  mother  to 
visit  the  ancestral  tomb.  Nefert  shrieked  with  fright, 
but  the  dog  at  once  knew  her,  and  crouched  against 
her  with  whines  of  recognition. 

Paaker,  who  had  gone  down  to  his  boat,  turned 
round  in  astonishment,  and  saw  his  dog  fawning  at  the 
feet  of  a  boy  whom  he  could  not  possibly  recognize  as 
Nefert;  he  sprang  back,  and  cried  out: 

"  I  will  teach  you,  you  young  scoundrel,  to  spoil  my 
dog  with  spells — or  poison ! " 

He  raised  his  whip,  and  struck  it  across  the  shoul- 
ders of  Nefert,  who,  with  one  scream  of  terror  and 
anguish,  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  lash  of  the  whip  only  whistled  close  by  the 
cheek  of  the  poor  fainting  woman,  for  Bent-Anat  had 
seized  Paaker's  arm  with  all  her  might. 

Rage,  disgust,  and  scorn  stopped  her  utterance;  but 
Rameri  had  heard  Nefert's  shriek,  and  in  two  steps 
stood  by  the  women. 

"Cowardly  scoundrel!"  he  cried,  and  lifted  the  oar 


<j6  UARDA. 

in  his  hand.  Paaker  evaded  the  blow,  and  called  to 
the  dog  with  a  peculiar  hiss: 

"Pull  him  down,  Descher." 

The  hound  flew  at  the  prince;  but  Rameri,  who 
from  his  childhood,  had  been  his  father's  companion  in 
many  hunts  and  field  sports,  gave  the  furious  brute 
such  a  mighty  blow  on  the  muzzle  that  he  rolled  over 
with  a  snort. 

Paaker  believed  that  he  possessed  in  the  whole 
world  no  more  faithful  friend  than  this  dog,  his  com- 
panion on  all  his  marches  across  desert  tracts  or 
through  the  enemy's  country,  and  when  he  saw  him  lie 
writhing  on  the  ground  his  rage  knew  no  bounds,  and 
he  flew  at  the  youngster  with  his  whip;  but  Rameri — 
madly  excited  by  all  the  events  of  the  night,  full  of 
the  warlike  spirit  of  his  fathers,  worked  up  to  the 
highest  pitch  by  the  insults  to  the  two  ladies,  and  see- 
ing that  he  was  their  only  protector — suddenly  felt 
himself  endowed  with  the  strength  of  a  man ;  he  dealt 
the  pioneer  such  a  heavy  blow  on  the  left  hand,  that 
he  dropped  his  whip,  and  now  seized  the  dagger  in  his 
girdle  with  his  right. 

Bent-Anat  threw  herself  between  the  man  and  the 
stripling,  who  was  hardly  more  than  a  boy,  once  more 
declared  her  name,  and  this  time  her  brother's  also, 
and  commanded  Paaker  to  make  peace  among  the  boat- 
men. Then  she  led  Nefert,  who  remained  unrecog- 
nized, into  the  boat,  entered  it  herself  with  her  com- 
panions, and  shortly  after  landed  at  the  palace,  while 
Paaker's  mother,  for  whom  he  had  called  his  boat,  had 
yet  a  long  time  to  wait  before  it  could  start.  Setchem 
had  seen  the  struggle  from  her  litter  at  the  top  of  the 


UARDA.  77 

landing  steps,  but  without  understanding  its  origin,  and 
without  recognizing  the  chief  actors. 

The  dog  was  dead.  Paaker's  hand  was  very  pain- 
ful, and  fresh  rage  was  seething  in  his  soul. 

"That  brood  of  Rameses!"  he  muttered.  "Adven- 
turers! They  shall  learn  to  know  me.  Mena  and 
Rameses  are  closely  connected — I  will  sacrifice  them 
both." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AT  last  the  pioneer's  boat  got  off  with  his  mother 
and  the  body  of  the  dog,  which  he  intended  to  send  to 
be  embalmed  at  Kynopolis,*  the  city  in  which  the  dog 
was  held  sacred  above  all  animals;  Paaker  himself  re- 
turned to  the  House  of  Seti,  where,  in  the  night  which 
closed  the  feast  day,  there  was  always  a  grand  banquet 
for  the  superior  priests  of  the  Necropolis  and  of  the 
temples  of  eastern  Thebes,  for  the  representatives  of 
other  foundations,  and  for  select  dignitaries  of  the 
state. 

His  father  had  never  failed  to  attend  this  enter- 
tainment when  he  was  in  Thebes,  but  he  himself  had 
to-day  for  the  first  time  received  the  much-coveted 
honor  of  an  invitation,  which — Ameni  told  him  when 
he  gave  it — he  entirely  owed  to  the  Regent. 

His  mother  had  tied   up  his  hand,  which  Rameri 

*  Kynopolis,  orin  old  Egyptian  Saka,  is  now  Samalut :  Anubiswas  the  chief 
divinity  worshipped  there.  Plutarch  relates  a  quarrel  between  the  inhabitants 
of  this  city,  and  the  neighboring  one  of  Oxyrynchos,  where  the  fish  called 
Oxyrynchos  was  worshipped.  It  began  because  the  Kynopolitans  eat  the  fish, 
and  in  revenge  the  Oxyrynchites  caught  and  killed  dogs,  and  consumed  them 
in  sacrifices.  Juvenal  relates  a  similar  story  of  the  Ombites — perhaps  Koptites 
— and  Tentyrites  in  the  isth  Satire. 


78  UARDA. 

I 

had  severely  hurt;  it  was  extremely  painful,  but  he 
would  not  have  missed  the  banquet  at  any  cost,  al- 
though he  felt  some  alarm  of  the  solemn  ceremony. 
His  family  was  as  old  as  any  in  Egypt,  his  blood 
purer  than  the  king's,  and  nevertheless  he  never  felt 
thoroughly  at  home  in  the  company  of  superior  people. 
He  was  no  priest,  although  a  scribe;  he  was  a  warrior, 
and  yet  he  did  not  rank  with  royal  heroes. 

He  had  been  brought  up  to  a  strict  fulfilment  of 
his  duty,  and  he  devoted  himself  zealously  to  his 
calling;  but  his  habits  of  life  were  widely  different 
from  those  of  the  society  in  which  he  had  been 
brought  up — a  society  of  which  his  handsome,  brave, 
and  magnanimous  father  had  been  a  chief  ornament. 
He  did  not  cling  covetously  to  his  inherited  wealth, 
and  the  noble  attribute  of  liberality  was  not  strange  to 
him,  but  the  coarseness  of  his  nature  showed  itself 
most  when  he  was  most  lavish,  for  he  was  never  tired 
of  exacting  gratitude  from  those  whom  he  had  attached 
to  him  by  his  gifts,  and  he  thought  he  had  earned  the 
right  by  his  liberality  to  meet  the  recipient  with  rough- 
ness or  arrogance,  according  to  his  humor.  Thus  it 
happened  that  his  best  actions  procured  him  not 
friends  but  enemies. 

Paaker's  was,  in  fact,  an  ignoble,  that  is  to  say,  a 
selfish  nature;  to  shorten  his  road  he  trod  down  flowers 
as  readily  as  he  marched  over  the  sand  of  the  desert. 
This  characteristic  marked  him  in  all  things,  even  in 
his  outward  demeanor;  in  the  sound  of  his  voice,  in 
his  broad  features,  in  the  swaggering  gait  of  his  stumpy 
figure. 

In  camp  he  could  conduct  himself  as  he  pleased, 
but  this  was  not  permissible  in  the  society  of  his  equals 


UARDA.  79 

in  rank;  for  this  reason,  and  because  those  faculties  of 
quick  remark  and  repartee,  which  distinguished  them, 
had  been  denied  to  him,  he  felt  uneasy  and  out  of  his 
element  when  he  mixed  with  them,  and  he  would  hardly 
have  accepted  Ameni's  invitation,  if  it  had  not  so 
greatly  flattered  his  vanity. 

It  was  already  late;  but  the  banquet  did  not  begin 
till  midnight,  for  the  guests,  before  it  began,  assisted  at 
the  play  which  was  performed  by  lamp  and  torch-light 
on  the  sacred  lake  in  the  south  of  the  Necropolis,  and 
which  represented  the  history  of  Isis  and  Osiris. 

When  he  entered  the  decorated  hall  in  which  the  ta- 
bles were  prepared,  he  found  all  the  guests  assembled. 
The  Regent  Ani  was  present,  and  sat  on  Ameni's  right 
at  the  top  of  the  centre  high-table  at  which  several  places 
were  unoccupied;  for  the  prophets  and  the  initiated  of 
the  temple  of  Amon  had  excused  themselves  from  being 
present.  They  were  faithful  to  Rameses  and  his  house; 
their  grey -haired  Superior  disapproved  of  Ameni's  severity 
towards  the  prince  and  princess,  and  they  regarded  the 
miracle  of  the  sacred  heart  as  a  malicious  trick  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  Necropolis  against  the  great  temple  of  the  capital* 
for  which  Rameses  had  always  shown  a  preference. 

The  pioneer  went  up  to  the  table,  where  sat  the  gen- 
eral of  the  troops  that  had  just  returned  victorious  from 
Ethiopia,  and  several  other  officers  of  high  rank,  There 
\vas  a  place  vacant  next  to  the  general.  Paaker  fixed 

*  Almost  all  the  kings  of  the  new  empire  provided  for  the  temple  of  Karnak 
with  lavish  generosity.  The  oldest  name  preserved  in  it  is  that  of  Usertesen  I. 
I2(h  dynasty.  During  the  reigns  of  the  Hyksos  work  on  it  ceased,  but  the 
monarchs  of  the  i8th  and  igth  dynasties  enlarged  it  to  vast  dimensions.  The 
vast  hall,  whose  foundations  were  laid  by  Rameses  I,  was  built  by  Seti  T,  and 
adorned  by  Rameses  II.  It  contained  134  columns  and  was  102:51  metres  large. 
The  temple  of  Luxor,  connected  with  that  of  Karnak,  and  whose  foundations  had 
been  laid  during  the  iSth  dynasty,  Rameses  also  completed.  He  added  new 
portions  to  the  eastern  side  of  Karnak,  and  vast  were  the  royal  gifts  tiiat  flowed 
into  the  treasuries  of  this  sanctuary.  AdmirabJe  ground  plans  of  all  parts  of  the 
temple  of  Karnak  have  been  recently  published  by  Maricttu  in  his  Karnak. 


8o  UARDA. 

his  eyes  upon  this,  but  when  he  observed  that  the  officer 
signed  to  the  one  next  to  him  to  come  a  little  nearer,  the 
pioneer  imagined  that  each  would  endeavor  to  avoid 
having  him  for  his  neighbor,  and  with  an  angry  glance 
he  turned  his  back  on  the  table  where  the  warriors  sat. 

The  Mohar  was  not,  in  fact,  a  welcome  boon-com- 
panion. "The  wine  turns  sour  when  that  churl  looks 
at  it,"  said  the  general. 

The  eyes  of  all  the  guests  turned  on  Paaker,  who 
looked  round  for  a  seat,  and  when  no  one  beckoned 
him  to  one  he  felt  his  blood  begin  to  boil.  He  would 
have  liked  to  leave  the  banqueting  hall  at  once  with  a 
swingeing  curse.  He  had  indeed  turned  towards  the 
door,  when  the  Regent,  who  had  exchanged  a  few  whis- 
pered words  with  Ameni,  called  to  him,  requested  him 
to  take  the  place  that  had  been  reserved  for  him,  and 
pointed  to  the  seat  by  his  side,  which  had  in  fact  been 
intended  for  the  high-priest  of  the  temple  of  Amon. 

Paaker  bowed  low,  and  took  the  place  of  honor, 
hardly  daring  to  look  round  the  table,  lest  he  should 
encounter  looks  of  surprise  or  of  mockery.  And  yet  he 
had  pictured  to  himself  his  grandfather  Assa,  and  his 
father,  as  somewhere  near  this  place  of  honor,  which  had 
actually  often  enough  been  given  up  to  them.  And 
was  he  not  their  descendant  and  heir  ?  Was  not  his 
mother  Setchem  of  royal  race  ?  Was  not  the  temple  of 
Seti  more  indebted  to  him  than  to  any  one  ? 

A  servant  laid  a  garland  of  flowers  round  his 
shoulders,  and  another  handed  him  wine  and  food.  Then 
he  raised  his  eyes,  and  met  the  bright  and  sparkling  glance 
of  Gagabu;  he  looked  quickly  down  again  at  the  table. 

Then  the  Regent  spoke  to  him,  and  turning  to  the 
other  guests  mentioned  that  Paaker  was  on  the  point  of 


UARDA.  8 1 

starting  next  day  for  Syria,  and  resuming  his  arduous 
labors  as  Mohar.  It  seemed  to  Paaker  that  the  Regent 
was  excusing  himself  for  having  given  him  so  high  a 
place  of  honor. 

Presently  Ani  raised  his  wine-cup,  and  drank  to  the 
happy  issue  of  his  reconnoitring-expedition,  and  a  victo- 
rious conclusion  to  every  struggle  in  which  the  Mohar 
might  engage.  The  high-priest  then  pledged  him,  and 
thanked  him  emphatically  in  the  name  of  the  brethren 
of  the  temple,  for  the  noble  tract  of  arable  land  which 
he  had  that  morning  given  them  as  a  votive  offering.*  A 
murmur  of  approbation  ran  round  the  tables,  and 
Paaker's  timidity  began  to  diminish. 

He  had  kept  the  wrappings  that  his  mother  had 
applied  round  his  still  aching  hand. 

"Are  you  wounded?"  asked  the  Regent. 

"  Nothing  of  importance,"  answered  the  pioneer.  "  I 
was  helping  my  mother  into  the  boat,  and  it  happened — " 

"  It  happened,"  interrupted  an  old  school-fellow  of 
the  Mohar's,  who  himself  held  a  high  appointment  as 
officer  of  the  city-watch  of  Thebes — "  It  happened  that 
an  oar  or  a  stake  fell  on  his  fingers." 

"Is  it  possible!"  cried  the  Regent. 

"And  quite  a  youngster  laid  hands  on  him,"  con- 
tinued the  officer.  "  My  people  told  me  every  detail. 
First  the  boy  killed  his  dog — " 

"That  noble  Descher?"  asked  the  master  of  the  hunt 
in  a  tone  of  regret.  "  Your  father  was  often  by  my  side 
with  that  dog  at  a  boar-hunt." 

Paaker  bowed  his  head;  but  the  officer  of  the  watch, 

*  Gifts  of  arable  land  to  the  temples  by  the  kings  were  very  customary, 
thousands  of  monuments  have  preserved  the  records  of  such  occurrences ;  but 
wealthy  private  individuals  not  only  bestowed  tracts  ofland  upon  the  sanctuaries, 
but  gave  money  for  their  aggrandizement. 


82  UARDA. 

secure  in  his  position  and  dignity,  and  taking  no  notice 
of  the  glow  of  anger  which  flushed  Paaker's  face,  began 
again : 

"When  the  hound  lay  on  the  ground,  the  foolhardy 
boy  struck  your  dagger  out  of  your  hand." 

"And  did  this  squabble  lead  to  any  disturbance?" 
asked  Ameni  earnestly. 

"  No,"  replied  the  officer.  "  The  feast  has  passed  off 
to-day  with  unusual  quiet.  If  the  unlucky  interruption 
to  the  procession  by  that  crazy  paraschites  had  not  oc- 
curred, we  should  have  nothing  but  praise  for  the  popu- 
lace. Besides  the  fighting  priest,  whom  we  have  handed 
over  to  you,  only  a  few  thieves  have  been  apprehended, 
and  they  belong  exclusively  to  the  caste,*  so  we  simply 
take  their  booty  from  them,  and  let  them  go.  But  say, 
Paaker,  what  devil  of  amiability  took  possession  of  you 
down  by  the  river,  that  you  let  the  rascal  escape  un- 
punished." 

"Did  you  do  that?"  exclaimed  Gagabu.  "Revenge 
is  usually  your " 

Ameni  threw  so  warning  a  glance  at  the  old  man, 
that  he  suddenly  broke  off,  and  then  asked  the  pioneer: 

"  How  did  the  struggle  begin,  and  who  was  the 
fellow?" 

"  Some  insolent  people,"  said  Paaker,  "  wanted  to 
push  in  front  of  the  boat  that  was  waiting  for  my  mother, 
and  I  asserted  my  rights.  The  rascal  fell  upon  me,  and 

*  According  to  Diodorous  (I.  Sol  there  was  a  cast  of  thieves  in  Thebes.  All 
citizens  were  obliged  to  enter  their  names  in  a  register,  and  state  where  they  lived, 
and  the  thieves  did  the  same.  The  names  were  enrolled  by  the  "  chief  of  the 
thieves,"  and  all  stolen  goods  had  to  be  given  up  to  him.  The  person  robbed  had 
to  give  a  written  description  of  the  object  he  had  lost,  and  a  declaration  as  to  when 
and  where  he  had  lost  it.  The  stolen  property  was  then  easily  recovered,  and  re- 
stored to  the  owner  on  the  payment  of  one  fourth  of  its  value,  which  was  given  to 
the  thief.  A  similar  state  of  tilings  existed  at  Cairo  within  a  comparatively  short 
tune. 


UARDA.  83 

killed  my  dog  and — by  my  Osirian  father! — the  croco- 
diles would  long  since  have  eaten  him  if  a  woman  had 
not  come  between  us,  and  made  herself  known  to  me 
as  Bent-Anat,  the  daughter  of  Rameses.  It  was  she 
herself,  and  the  rascal  was  the  young  prince  Rameri, 
who  was  yesterday  forbidden  this  temple." 

"Oho!"  cried  the  old  master  of  the  hunt.  "Oho! 
my  lord!  Is  this  the  way  to  speak  of  the  children  of 
the  king?" 

Others  of  the  company  who  were  attached  to 
Pharaoh's  family  expressed  their  indignation;  but  Ameni 
whispered  to  Paakar — "Say  no  more!"  then  he  con- 
tinued aloud: 

"You  never  were  careful  in  weighing  your  words, 
my  friend,  and  now,  as  it  seems  to  me,  you  are  speak- 
ing in  the  heat  of  fever.  Come  here,  Gagabu,  and 
examine  Paaker's  wound,  which  is  no  disgrace  to  him 
— for  it  was  inflicted  by  a  prince." 

The  old  man  loosened  the  bandage  from  the 
pioneer's  swollen  hand. 

"That  was  a  bad  blow,"  he  exclaimed;  "three 
fingers  are  broken,  and — do  you  see? — the  emerald  too 
in  your  signet  ring." 

Paaker  looked  down  at  his  aching  fingers,  and 
uttered  a  sigh  of  relief,  for  it  was  not  the  oracular  ring 
with  the  name  of  Thotmes  III,  but  the  valuable  one 
given  to  his  father  by  the  reigning  king  that  had  been 
crushed.  Only  a  few  solitary  fragments  of  the  splintered 
stone  remained  in  the  setting;  the  king's  name  had 
fallen  to  pieces,  and  disappeared.  Paaker's  bloodless 
lips  moved  silently,  and  an  inner  voice  cried  out  to  him :  I 
"The  Gods  point  out  the  way!  The  name  is  gone,  the 
bearer  of  the  name  must  follow." 


84  UARDA. 

"It  is  a  pity  about  the  ring,"  said  Gagabu.  "And 
if  the  hand  is  not  to  follow  it — luckily  it  is  your  left 
hand — leave  off  drinking,  let  yourself  be  taken  to  Neb- 
secht  the  surgeon,  and  get  him  to  set  the  joints  neatly, 
and  bind  them  up." 

Paaker  rose,  and  went  away  after  Ameni  had  ap- 
pointed to  meet  him  on  the  following  day  at  the  Tem- 
ple of  Seti,  and  the  Regent  at  the  palace. 

When  the  door  had  closed  behind  him,  the  treasurer 
of  the  temple  said : 

"This  has  been  a  bad  day  for  the  Mohar,  and  per- 
haps it  will  teach  him  that  here  in  Thebes  he  cannot 
swagger  as  he  does  in  the  field.  Another  adventure 
occurred  to  him  to-day;  would  you  like  to  hear  it?" 

"Yes;  tell  it!"  cried  the  guests. 

"You  all  knew  old  Seni,"  began  the  treasurer.  "  He 
was  a  rich  man,  but  he  gave  away  all  his  goods  to  the 
poor,  after  his  seven  blooming  sons,  one  after  another, 
had  died  in  the  war,  or  of  illness.  He  only  kept  a  small 
house  with  a  little  garden,  and  said  that  as  the  Gods  had 
taken  his  children  to  themselves  in  the  other  world  he 
would  take  pity  on  the  forlorn  in  this.  '  Feed  the  hungry, 
give  drink  to  the  thirsty,  clothe  the  naked'  says  the  law ; 
and  now  that  Seni  has  nothing  more  to  give  away,  he 
goes  through  the  city,  as  you  know,  hungry  and  thirsty 
himself,  and  scarcely  clothed,  and  begging  for  his  adopted 
children,  the  poor.  We  have  all  given  to  him,  for  we  all 
know  for  whom  he  humbles  himself,  and  holds  out  his 
hand.  To-day  he  went  round  with  his  little  bag,  and 
begged,  with  his  kind  good  eyes,  for  alms.  Paaker  has 
given  us  a  good  piece  of  arable  land,  and  thinks,  perhaps 
with  reason,  that  he  has  done  his  part.  When  Seni  ad- 
dressed him,  he  told  him  to  go;  but  the  old  man  did  not 


UARDA.  85 

give  up  asking  him,  he  followed  him  persistently  to  the 
grave  of  his  father,  and  a  great  many  people  with  him. 
Then  the  pioneer  pushed  him  angrily  back,  and  when 
at  last  the  beggar  clutched  his  garment,  he  raised  his 
whip,  and  struck  him  two  or  three  times,  crying  out: 
'There — that  is  your  portion!'  The  good  old  man  bore 
it  quite  patiently,  while  he  untied  the  bag,  and  said  with 
tears  in  his  eyes :  '  My  portion — yes — but  not  the  por- 
tion of  the  poor!' 

"  I  was  standing  near,  and  I  saw  how  Paaker  hastily 
withdrew  into  the  tomb,  and  how  his  mother  Setchem 
threw  her  full  purse  to  Seni.  Others  followed  her  ex- 
ample, and  the  old  man  never  had  a  richer  harvest. 
The  poor  may  thank  the  Mohar !  A  crowd  of  people 
collected  in  front  of  the  tomb,  and  he  would  have  fared 
badly  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  police  guard  who  drove 
them  away." 

During  this  narrative,  which  was  heard  with  much 
approval — for  no  one  is  more  secure  of  his  result  than 
he  who  can  tell  of  the  downfall  of  a  man  who  is  disliked 
for  his  arrogance — the  Regent  and  the  high-priest  had 
been  eagerly  whispering  to  each  other. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt,"  said  Ameni,  "  that  Bent- 
Anat  did  actually  come  to  the  festival." 

"And  had  also  dealings  with  the  priest  whom  you 
so  warmly  defend,"  whispered  the  other. 

"  Pentaur  shall  be  questioned  this  very  night," 
returned  the  high-priest.  "  The  dishes  will  soon  be 
taken  away,  and  the  drinking  will  begin.  Let  us  go 
and  hear  what  the  poet  says." 

"  But  there  are  now  no  witnesses,"  replied  Ani. 

"  We  do  not  need  them,"  said  Ameni.  "  He  is  in- 
capable of  a  lie." 


86  UARDA. 

"Let  us  go  then,"  said  the  Regent  smiling,  "for  I 
am  really  curious  about  this  white  negro,  and  how  he 
will  come  to  terms  with  the  truth.  You  have  forgotten 
that  there  is  a  woman  in  the  case." 

"That  there  always  is!"  answered  Ameni;  he  called 
Gagabu  to  him,  gave  him  his  seat,  begged  him  to  keep 
up  the  flow  of  cheerful  conversation,  to  encourage  the 
guests  to  drink,  and  to  interrupt  all  talk  of  the  king,  the 
state,  or  the  war. 

"You  know,"  he  concluded,  "that  we  are  not  by  our- 
selves this  evening.  Wine  has,  before  this,  betrayed 
everything!  Remember  this — the  mother  of  foresight 
looks  backwards!" 

Ani  clapped  his  hand  on  the  old  man's  shoulder. 

"There  will  be  a  space  cleared  to-night  in  your  wine- 
lofts.  It  is  said  of  you  that  you  cannot  bear  to  see  either 
a  full  glass  or  an  empty  one;  to-night  give  your  aversion 
to  both  free  play.  And  when  you  think  it  is  the  right 
moment,  give  a  sign  to  my  steward,  who  is  sitting  ther<* 
in  the  corner.  He  has  a  few  jars  of  the  best  liquor  from 
Byblos,*  that  he  brought  over  with  him,  and  he  will  bring 
it  to  you.  I  will  come  in  again  and  bid  you  good-night." 

Ameni  was  accustomed  to  leave  the  hall  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  drinking. 

When  the  door  was  closed  behind  him  and  his 
companion,  when  fresh  rose-garlands  had  been  brought 
for  the  necks  of  the  company,  when  lotos-blossoms  deco- 
rated their  heads,  and  the  beakers  were  refilled,  a  choir 
of  musicians  came  in,  who  played  on  harps,  lutes,  flutes, 
and  small  drums.  The  conductor  beat  the  time  by  clap- 
ping his  hands,  and  when  the  music  had  raised  the  spir- 

*  Gebal-Byblos  in  Phoenicia.  A  very  famous  wine  was  grown  there,  much 
appreciated  by  the  Greeks. 


UARDA.  87 

its  of  the  drinkers,  they  seconded  his  efforts  by  rhyth- 
mical clappings  The  jolly  old  Gagabu  kept  up  his 
character  as  a  stout  drinker,  and  leader  of  the  feast. 

The  most  priestly  countenances  soon  beamed  with 
cheerfulness,  and  the  officers  and  courtiers  outdid  each 
other  in  audacious  jokes.  Then  the  old  man  signed  to 
a  young  temple-servant,  who  wore  a  costly  wreath;  he 
came  forward  with  a  small  gilt  image  of  a  mummy,  car- 
ried it  round  the  circle  and  cried: 

"Look  at  this;  be  merry  and  drink  so  long  as  you 
are  on  earth,  for  soon  you  must  be  like  this."* 

Gagabu  gave  another  signal,  and  the  Regent's  stew- 
ard brought  in  the  wine  from  Byblos.  Ani  was  much 
lauded  for  the  wonderful  choiceness  of  the  liquor. 

"Such  wine,"  exclaimed  the  usually  grave  chief  of 
the  pastophori,  "is  like  soap."** 

"What  a  simile!"  cried  Gagabu.  "You  must  ex- 
plain it.'; 

"  It  cleanses  the  soul  of  sorrow,"  answered  the  other. 

"  Good,  friend !"  they  all  exclaimed.      "  Now  every 

*  A  custom  mentioned  by  Herodotus.  Lucian  saw  such  an  image  brought 
in  at  a  feast.  The  Greeks  adopted  the  idea,  but  beautified  it,  using  a  winged 
Genius  of  death  instead  of  a  mummy.  The  Romans  also  had  their  "larva." 

**  This  comparison  is  genuinely  Eastern.  Kisra  called  wine  "  the  soap  of 
sorrow."  The  Mohammedans,  to  whom  wine  is  forbidden,  have  praised  it  like 
the  guests  of  the  House  of  Seti.  Thus  Abdelmalik  ibn  Salih  Haschimi  says: 
"  The  best  thing  the  world  enjoys  is  wine. "  Gahiz  says :  "  When  wine  enters  thy 
bones  and  Hows  through  thy  limbs  it  bestows  truth  of  feeling,  and  perfects  the 
soul;  it  removes  sorrow,  elevates  the  mood,  etc.,  etc."  When  Ibn  'Aischah  was 
told  that  some  one  drank  no  wine,  he  said  :  "  He  has  thrice  disowned  the  world." 
Ibn  el  Mu'tazz  sang: 

"  Heed  not  time,  how  it  may  linger,  or  how  swiftly  take  its  flight, 
Wail  thy  sorrows  only  to  the  wine  before  thee  gleaming  bright. 
But  when  thrice  thou'st  drained  the  beaker  watch  and  ward  keep  o'er  thy  heart. 
Lest  the  foam  of  joy  should  vanish,  and  thy  soul  with  anguish  smart, 
This  for  every  earthly  trouble  is  a  sovereign  remedy, 
Therefore  listen  to  my  counsel,  knowing  what  will  profit  thee, 
Heed  not  time,  for  ah,  how  many  a  man  has  longed  in  pain 
Tale  of  evil  days  to  lighten — and  found  all  his  longing  vain  "* 

*  Translated  by  Mary  J.  SafFord. 


88  UARDA. 

one  in  turn  shall  praise  the  noble  juice  in  some 
worthy  saying." 

"  You  begin — the  chief  prophet  of  the  temple  of 
Amenophis." 

"  Sorrow  is  a  poison,"  said  the  priest,  "  and  wine  is 
the  antidote." 

"  Well  said  ! — go  on ;  it  is  your  turn,  my  lord  privy 
councillor." 

"  Every  thing  has  its  secret  spring,"  said  the  official, 
"  and  wine  is  the  secret  of  joy." 

"  Now  you,  my  lord  keeper  of  the  seal." 

"  Wine  seals  the  door  on  discontent,  and  locks  the 
gates  on  sorrow." 

"  That  it  does,  that  it  certainly  does ! — Now  the 
governor  of  Hermothis,  the  oldest  of  all  the  company." 

"  Wine  ripens  especially  for  us  old  folks,  and  not 
for  you  young  people." 

"That  you  must  explain,"  cried  a  voice  from  the 
table  of  the  military  officers. 

"  It  makes  young  men  of  the  old,"  laughed  the 
octogenarian,  "  and  children  of  the  young." 

"  He  has  you  there,  you  youngsters,"  cried  Gagabu. 
"  What  have  you  to  say,  Septah  ?" 

"Wine  is  a  poison,"  said  the  morose  haruspex, 
"for  it  makes  fools  of  wise  men." 

"  Then  you  have  little  to  fear  from  it,  alas !"  said 
Gagabu  laughing.  "  Proceed,  my  lord  of  the  chase." 

"  The  rim  of  the  beaker,"  was  the  answer,  "  is  like 
the  lip  of  the  woman  you  love.  Touch  it,  and  taste  it, 
and  it  is  as  good  as  the  kiss  of  a  bride." 

"  General — the  turn  is  yours." 

"  I  wish  the  Nile  ran  writh  such  wine  instead  of 
with  water,"  cried  the  soldier,  "  and  that  I  were  as  big 


t)ARDA.  89 

as  the  colossus  of  Amenophis,  and  that  the  biggest 
obelisk  of  Hatasu*  were  my  drinking  vessel,  and  that  I 
might  drink  as  much  as  I  would!  But  now — what  have 
you  to  say  of  this  noble  liquor,  excellent  Gagabu?" 

The  second  prophet  raised  his  beaker,  and  gazed 
lovingly  at  the  golden  fluid;  he  tasted  it  slowly,  and 
then  said  with  his  eyes  turned  to  heaven : 

"  I  only  fear  that  I  am  unworthy  to  thank  the  Gods 
for  such  a  divine  blessing." 

"Well  said!"  exclaimed  the  Regent  Ani,  who  had 
re-entered  the  room  unobserved.  "If  my  wine  could 
speak,  it  would  thank  you  for  such  a  speech." 

'•Hail  to  the  Regent  Ani!"  shouted  the  guests,  and 
they  all  rose  with  their  cups  filled  with  his  noble 
present. 

He  pledged  them  and  then  rose. 

"Those,"  said  he,  "who  have  appreciated  this 
wine,  I  now  invite  to  dine  with  me  to-morrow.  You 
will  then  meet  with  it  again,  and  if  you  still  find  it  to 
your  liking,  you  will  be  heartily  welcome  any  evening. 
Now,  good  night,  friends." 

A  thunder  of  applause  followed  him,  as  he  quitted 
the  room. 

The  morning  was  already  grey,  when  the  carousing- 
party  broke  up;  few  of  the  guests  could  find  their  way 
unassisted  through  the  courtyard;  most  of  them  had 
already  been  carried  away  by  the  slaves,  who  had 
waited  for  them — and  who  took  them  on  their  heads, 
dike  bales  of  goods — and  had  been  borne  home  in  their 
litters;  but  for  those  who  remained  to  the  end,  couches 

"  This  obelisk  is  still  standing  at  Karnak,  and  is  33  metres  high.  That 
which  was  taken  to  Paris  from  Luqsor,  and  which  stands  on  the  Place  de  la 
Concorde,  is  1 1  metres  less. 

28 


90  UARDA. 

were  prepared  in  the  House  of  Seti,  for  a  terrific  storm 
was  now  raging. 

While  the  company  were  filling  and  refilling  the 
beakers,  which  raised  their  spirits  to  so  wild  a  pitch, 
the  prisoner  Pentaur  had  been  examined  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Regent.  Ameni's  messenger  had  found 
the  poet  on  his  knees,  so  absorbed  in  meditation  that 
he  did  not  perceive  his  approach.  All  his  peace  of 
mind  had  deserted  him,  his  soul  was  in  a  tumult,  and 
he  could  not  succeed  in  obtaining  any  calm  and  clear 
control  over  the  new  life-pulses  which  were  throbbing 
in  his  heart. 

He  had  hitherto  never  gone  to  rest  at  night  with- 
out requiring  of  himself  an  account  of  the  past  day, 
and  he  had  always  been  able  to  detect  the  most  subtle 
line  that  divided  right  from  wrong  in  his  actions.  But 
to-night  he  looked  back  on  a  perplexing  confusion  of 
ideas  and  events,  and  when  he  endeavored  to  sort 
them  and  arrange  them,  he  could  see  nothing  clearly 
but  the  image  of  Bent-Anat,  which  enthralled  his  heart 
and  intellect. 

He  had  raised  his  hand  against  his  fellow-men,  and 
dipped  it  in  blood;  he  desired  to  convince  himself  of 
his  sin,  and  to  repent — but  he  could  not;  for  each 
time  he  recalled  it,  to  blame  and  condemn  himself,  he 
saw  the  soldier's  hand  twisted  in  Uarda's  hair,  and  the 
princess's  eyes  beaming  with  approbation,  nay  with  ad- 
miration, and  he  said  to  himself  that  he  had  acted 
rightly,  and  in  the  same  position  would  do  the  same 
again  to-morrow.  Still  he  felt  that  he  had  broken 
through  all  the  conditions  with  which  fate  had  sur- 


UARDA.  91 

rounded  his  existence,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  he 
could  never  succeed  in  recovering  the  still,  narrow,  but 
peaceful  life  of  the  past. 

His  soul  went  up  in  prayer  to  the  Almighty  One, 
and  to  the  spirit  of  the  sweet  humble  woman  whom 
he  had  called  his  mother,  imploring  for  peace  of  mind 
and  modest  content;  but  in  vain — for  the  longer  he 
remained  prostrate,  flinging  up  his  arms  in  passionate 
entreaty,  the  keener  grew  his  longings,  the  less  he  felt 
able  to  repent  or  to  recognize  his  guilt.  Ameni's  order 
to  appear  before  him  came  almost  as  a  deliverance, 
and  he  followed  the  messenger  prepared  for  a  severe 
punishment;  but  not  afraid — almost  joyful. 

In  obedience  to  the  command  of  the  grave  high- 
priest,  Pentaur  related  the  whole  occurrence — how,  as 
there  was  no  leech  in  the  house,  he  had  gone  with  the 
old  wife  of  the  paraschites  to  visit  her  possessed  hus- 
band; how,  to  save  the  unhappy  girl  from  ill-usage  by 
the  mob,  he  had  raised  his  hand  in  fight,  and  dealt 
indeed  some  heavy  blows. 

"You  have  killed  four  men,"  said  Ameni,  "and 
severely  wounded  twice  as  many.  Why  did  you  not 
reveal  yourself  as  a  priest,  as  the  speaker  of  the  morn- 
ing's discourse?  Why  did  you  not  endeavor  to  persuade 
the  people  with  words  of  warning,  rather  than  with 
brute  force  ?" 

"  I  had  no  priest's  garment,"  replied  Pentaur. 

"There  again  you  did  wrong,"  said  Ameni,  "for 
you  know  that  the  law  requires  of  eacli  of  us  never  to 
leave  this  house  without  our  white  robes.  But  you 
cannot  pretend  not  to  know  your  own  powers  of  speech, 
nor  to  contradict  me  when  I  assert  that,  even  in  the 


92  UARDA. 

plainest  working-dress,  you  were  perfectly  able  to  pro- 
duce as  much  effect  with  words  as  by  deadly  blows!" 

"I  might  very  likely  have  succeeded,"  answered 
Pentaur,  "but  the  most  savage  temper  ruled  the  crowd; 
there  was  no  time  for  reflection,  and  when  I  struck 
down  the  villain,  like  some  reptile,  who  had  seized  the 
innocent  girl,  the  lust  of  fighting  took  possession  of  me. 
I  cared  no  more  for  my  own  life,  and  to  save  the 
child  I  would  have  slain  thousands." 

"Your  eyes  sparkle,"  said  Ameni,  "as  if  you  had 
performed  some  heroic  feat;  and  yet  the  men  you  killed 
were  only  unarmed  and  pious  citizens,  who  were  roused 
to  indignation  by  a  gross  and  shameless  outrage.  I 
cannot  conceive  whence  the  warrior-spirit  should  have 
fallen  on  a  gardener's  son — and  a  minister  of  the 
Gods." 

"It  is  true,"  answered  Pentaur,  "when  the  crowd 
rushed  upon  me,  and  I  drove  them  back,  putting  out 
all  my  strength,  I  felt  something  of  the  warlike  rage  of 
the  soldier,  who  repulses  the  pressing  foe  from  the 
standard  committed  to  his  charge.  It  was  sinful  in  a 
priest,  no  doubt,  and  I  will  repent  of  it — but  I  felt  it." 

"You  felt  it — and  you  will  repent  of  it,  well  and 
good,"  replied  Ameni.  "  But  you  have  not  given  a 
true  account  of  all  that  happened.  Why  have  you  con- 
cealed that  Bent-Anat — Rameses'  daughter — was  mixed 
up  in  the  fray,  and  that  she  saved  you  by  announcing 
her  name  to  the  people,  and  commanding  them  to  leave 
you  alone?  When  you  gave  her  the  lie  before  all  the 
people,  was  it  because  you  did  not  believe  that  it  was 
Bent-Anat?  Now,  you  who  stand  so  firmly  on  so  high 
a  platform — now  you  standard-bearer  of  the  truth — 
answer  me." 


UARDA.  93 

Pentaur  had  turned  pale  at  his  master's  words,  and 
said,  as  he  looked  at  the  Regent  : 

"  We  are  not  alone." 

"  Truth  is  one !"  said  Ameni  coolly.  "  What  you 
can  reveal  to  me,  can  also  be  heard  by  this  noble  lord, 
the  Regent  of  the  king  himself.  Did  you  recognize 
Bent-Anat,  or  not  ?" 

"  The  lady  who  rescued  me  was  like  her,  and  yet 
unlike,"  answered  the  poet,  whose  blood  was  roused 
by  the  subtle  irony  of  his  Superior's  words.  "  And  if 
I  had  been  as  sure  that  she  was  the  princess,  as  I  am 
that  you  are  the  man  who  once  held  me  in  honor, 
and  who  are  now  trying  to  humiliate  me,  I  would  all 
the  more  have  acted  as  I  did  to  spare  a  lady  who  is 
more  like  a  goddess  than  a  woman,  and  who,  to  save 
an  unworthy  wretch  like  me,  stooped  from  a  throne 
to  the  dust." 

"  Still  the  poet — the  preacher !"  said  Ameni.  Then 
he  added  severely.  "  I  beg  for  a  short  and  clear  an- 
swer. We  know  for  certain  that  the  princess  took  part 
in  the  festival  in  the  disguise  of  a  woman  of  low  rank, 
for  she  again  declared  herself  to  Paaker ;  and  we  know 
that  it  was  she  who  saved  you.  But  did  you  know 
that  she  meant  to  come  across  the  Nile  ?" 

"  How  should  I  ?"  asked  Pentaur. 

"  Well,  did  you  believe  that  it  was  Bent-Anat  whom 
you  saw  before  you  when  she  ventured  on  to  the  scene 
of  conflict  ?" 

"I  did  believe  it,"  replied  Pentaur;  he  shuddered 
and  cast  down  his  eyes. 

"  Then  it  was  most  audacious  to  drive  away  the 
king's  daughter  as  an  impostor." 

"  It  was,"  said  Pentaur.     "  But  for  my  sake  she  had 


94  UARDA. 

risked  the  honor  of  her  name,  and  that  of  her  royal 
father,  and  I — I  should  not  have  risked  my  life  and 
freedom  for — " 

"  We  have  heard  enough,"  interrupted  Ameni. 

"  Not  so,"  the  Regent  interposed.  "  What  became 
of  the  girl  you  had  saved  ?" 

"An  old  witch,  Hekt  by  name,  a  neighbor  of 
Pinem's,  took  her  and  her  grandmother  into  her  cave," 
answered  the  poet ;  who  was  then,  by  the  high-priest's 
order,  taken  back  to  the  temple-prison. 

Scarcely  had  he  disappeared  when  the  Regent  ex- 
claimed : 

"  A  dangerous  man  !  an  enthusiast !  an  ardent  wor- 
shipper of  Rameses!" 

"  And  of  his  daughter,"  laughed  Ameni,  "  but  only 
a  worshipper.  Thou  hast  nothing  to  fear  from  him — I 
will  answer  for  the  purity  of  his  motives." 

"  But  he  is  handsome  and  of  powerful  speech,"  re- 
plied Ani.  "  I  claim  him  as  my  prisoner,  for  he  has 
killed  one  of  my  soldiers." 

Ameni's  countenance  darkened,  and  he  answered 
very  sternly : 

"  It  is  the  exclusive  right  of  our  conclave,  as  estab- 
lished by  our  charter,  to  judge  any  member  of  this 
fraternity.  You,  the  future  king,  have  freely  promised 
to  secure  our  privileges  to  us,  the  champions  of  your 
own  ancient  and  sacred  rights." 

"  And  you  shall  have  them,"  answered  the  Regent 
with  a  persuasive  smile.  "  But  this  man  is  dangerous, 
and  you  would  not  have  him  go  unpunished." 

"  He  shall  be  severely  judged,"  said  Ameni,  "  but 
by  us  and  in  this  house." 


UARDA.  95 

"  He  has  committed  murder  !"  cried  Ani.  "  More 
than  one  murder.  He  is  worthy  of  death." 

"  He  acted  under  pressure  of  necessity,"  replied 
Ameni.  "  And  a  man  so  favored  by  the  Gods  as  he,  is 
not  to  be  lightly  given  up  because  an  untimely  impulse 
of  generosity  prompted  him  to  rash  conduct.  I  know 
— I  can  see  that  you  wish  him  ill.  Promise  me,  as 
you  value  me  as  an  ally,  that  you  will  not  attempt  his 
life." 

'•  Oh,  willingly!"  smiled  the  Regent,  giving  the  high- 
priest  his  hand. 

"  Accept  my  sincere  thanks,"  said  Ameni.  "  Pentaur 
was  the  most  promising  of  my  disciples,  and  in  spite 
of  many  aberrations  I  still  esteem  him  highly.  When 
he  was  telling  us  of  what  had  occurred  to-day,  did  he 
not  remind  you  of  the  great  Assa,  or  of  his  gallant 
son,  the  Osirian  father  of  the  pioneer  Paaker  ?" 

"  The  likeness  is  extraordinary,"  answered  Ani, 
"  and  yet  he  is  of  quite  humble  birth.  Who  was  his 
mother  ?" 

"  Our  gate-keeper's  daughter,  a  plain,  pious,  simple 
creature." 

"  Now  I  will  return  to  the  banqueting  hall,"  said 
Ani,  after  a  few  moments  of  reflection.  "  But  I  must 
ask  you  one  thing  more.  I  spoke  to  you  of  a  secret 
that  will  put  Paaker  into  our  power.  The  old  sorceress 
Hekt,  who  has  taken  charge  of  the  paraschites'  wife 
and  grandchild,  knows  all  about  it.  Send  some  police- 
guards  over  there,  and  let  her  be  brought  over  here  as 
a  prisoner;  I  will  examine  her  myself,  and  so  can 
question  her  without  exciting  observation." 

Ameni  at  once  sent  off  a  party  of  soldiers,  and  then 
quietly  ordered  a  faithful  attendant  to  light  up  the  so 


96  UARDA. 

called  audience-chamber,  and  to  put  a  seat  for  him  in 
an  adjoining  room. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

WHILE  the  banquet  was  going  forward  at  the  temple, 
and  Ameni's  messengers  were  on  their  way  to  the 
valley  of  the  kings'  tombs,  to  waken  up  old  Hekt,  a 
furious  storm  of  hot  wind  came  up  from  the  south- 
west, sweeping  black  clouds  across  the  sky,  and  brown 
clouds  of  dust  across  the  earth.  It  bowed  the  slender 
palm-trees  as  an  archer  bends  his  bow,  tore  the  tent- 
pegs  up  on  the  scene  of  the  festival,  whirled  the  light 
tent-cloths  up  in  the  air,  drove  them  like  white  witches 
through  the  dark  night,  and  thrashed  the  still  surface 
of  the  Nile  till  its  yellow  waters  swirled  and  tossed  in 
waves  like  a  restless  sea. 

Paaker  had  compelled  his  trembling  slaves  to  row 
him  across  the  stream ;  several  times  the  boat  was 
near  being  swamped,  but  he  had  seized  the  helm  him- 
self with  his  uninjured  hand,  and  guided  it  firmly  and 
surely,  though  the  rocking  of  the  boat  kept  his  broken 
hand  in  great  and  constant  pain.  After  a  few  in- 
effectual attempts  he  succeeded  in  landing.  The  storm 
had  blown  out  the  lanterns  at  the  masts — the  signal 
lights  for  which  his  people  looked — and  he  found 
neither  servants  nor  torch-bearers  on  the  bank,  so  he 
struggled  through  the  scorching  wind  as  far  as  the 
gate  of  his  house.  His  big  dog  had  always  been 
wont  to  announce  his  return  home  to  the  door-keeper 
•with  joyful  barking;  but  to-night  the  boatmen  long 
knocked  in  vain  at  the  heavy  doar.  When  at  last  he 


UARDA.  97 

entered  the  court-yard,  he  found  all  dark,  for  the  wind 
had  extinguished  the  lanterns  and  torches,  and  there 
were  no  lights  but  in  the  windows  of  his  mother's 
rooms. 

The  dogs  in  their  open  kennels  now  began  to 
make  themselves  heard,  but  their  tones  were  plaintive 
and  whining,  for  the  storm  had  frightened  the  beasts; 
their  howling  cut  the  pioneer  to  the  heart,  for  it  re- 
minded him  of  the  poor  slain  Descher,  whose  deep 
voice  he  sadly  missed;  and  when  he  went  into  his  own 
room  he  was  met  by  a  wild  cry  of  lamentation  from  the 
Ethiopian  slave,  for  the  dog  which  he  had  trained  for 
Paaker's  father,  and  which  he  had  loved. 

The  pioneer  threw  himself  on  a  seat,  and  ordered 
some  water  to  be  brought,  that  he  might  cool  his  aching 
hand  in  it,  according  to  the  prescription  of  Nebsecht. 

As  soon  as  the  old  man  saw  the  broken  fingers,  he 
gave  another  yell  of  woe,  and  when  Paaker  ordered 
him  to  cease  he  asked: 

"And  is  the  man  still  alive  who  did  that,  and  who 
killed  Descher?" 

Paaker  nodded,  and  while  he  held  his  hand  in  the 
cooling  water  he  looked  sullenly  at  the  ground.  He 
felt  miserable,  and  he  asked  himself  why  the  storm 
had  not  swamped  the  boat,  and  the  Nile  had  not 
swallowed  him.  Bitterness  and  rage  filled  his  breast, 
and  he  wished  he  were  a  child,  and  might  cry.  But 
his  mood  soon  changed,  his  breath  came  quickly,  his 
breast  heaved,  and  an  ominous  light  glowed  in  his 
eyes.  He  was  not  thinking  of  his  love,  but  of  the 
revenge  that  was  even  dearer  to  him. 

"That  brood  of  Rameses!"  he  muttered.  "I  will 
sweep  them  all  away  together — the  king,  and  Mena, 


98  UARDA. 

and  those  haughty  princes,  and  many  more — I  know 
how.  Only  wait,  only  wait !"  and  he  flung  up  his  right 
fist  with  a  threatening  gesture. 

The  door  opened  at  this  instant,  and  his  mother  en- 
tered the  room;  the  raging  of  the  storm  had  drowned 
the  sound  of  her  steps,  and  as  she  approached  her  re- 
vengeful son,  she  called  his  name  in  horror  at  the  mad 
wrath  which  was  depicted  in  his  countenance.  Paaker 
started,  and  then  said  with  apparent  composure: 

"Is  it  you,  mother?  It  is  near  morning,  and  it  is 
better  to  be  asleep  than  awake  in  such  an  hour." 

"  I  could  not  rest  in  my  rooms,"  answered  Setchem. 
"The  storm  howled  so  wildly,  and  I  am  so  anxious,  so 
frightfully  unhappy — as  I  was  before  your  father  died." 

"Then  stay  with  me,"  said  Paaker  affectionately, 
"and  lie  down  on  my  couch." 

"  I  did  not  come  here  to  sleep,"  replied  Setchem. 
"I  am  too  unhappy  at  all  that  happened  to  you  on  the 
landing-steps,  it  is  frightful !  No,  no,  my  son,  it  is  not 
about  your  smashed  hand,  though  it  grieves  me  to  see 
you  in  pain;  it  is  about  the  king,  and  his  anger  when  he 
hears  of  the  quarrel.  He  favors  you  less  than  he  did 
your  lost  father,  I  know  it  well.  But  how  wildly  you 
smile,  how  wild  you  looked  when  I  came  in!  It  went 
through  my  bones  and  marrow." 

Both  were  silent  for  a  time,  and  listened  to  the 
furious  raging  of  the  storm.  At  last  Setchem  spoke. 

"There  is  something  else,"  she  said,  "which  disturbs 
my  mind.  I  cannot  forget  the  poet  who  spoke  at  the 
festival  to-day,  young  Pentaur.  His  figure,  his  face,  his 
movements,  nay  his  very  voice,  are  exactly  like  those  of 
your  father  at  the  time  when  he  was  young,  and  courted 
me.  It  is  as  if  the  Gods  were  fain  to  see  the  best  man 


UARDA.  99 

that  they  ever  took  to  themselves,  walk  before  them  a 
second  time  upon  earth." 

" Yes,  my  lady,"  said  the  black  slave;  "no  mortal 
eye  ever  saw  such  a  likeness.  I  saw  him  fighting  in  front 
of  the  paraschites'  cottage,  and  he  was  more  like  my 
dead  master  than  ever.  He  swung  the  tent-post  over 
his  head,  as  my  lord  used  to  swing  his  battle-axe." 

"Be  silent,"  cried  Paaker,  "and  get  out — idiot! 
The  priest  is  like  my  father;  I  grant  it,  mother;  but 
he  is  an  insolent  fellow,  who  offended  me  grossly,  and 
with  whom  I  have  to  reckon — as  with  many  others." 

"How  violent  you  are!"  interrupted  his  mother, 
"and  how  full  of  bitterness  and  hatred.  Your  father 
was  so  sweet-tempered,  and  kind  to  everybody." 

"Perhaps  they  are  kind  to  me?"  retorted  Paaker 
with  a  short  laugh.  "  Even  the  Immortals  spite  me,  and 
throw  thorns  in  my  path.  But  I  will  push  them  aside 
with  my  own  hand,  and  will  attain  what  I  desire  without 
the  help  of  the  Gods  and  overthrow  all  that  oppose  me." 

"  We  cannot  blow  away  a  feather  without  the  help 
of  the  Immortals,"  answered  Setchem.  "So  your  father 
used  to  say,  who  was  a  very  different  man  both  in  body 
and  mind  from  you!  I  tremble  before  you  this  evening, 
and  at  the  curses  you  have  uttered  against  the  children 
of  your  lord  and  sovereign,  your  father's  best  friend." 

"  But  my  enemy,"  shouted  Paaker.  "  You  will  get 
nothing  from  me  but  curses.  And  the  brood  of  Ra- 
meses  shall  learn  whether  your  husband's  son  will  let 
himself  be  ill-used  and  scorned  without  revenging  him- 
self. I  will  fling  them  into  an  abyss,  and  I  will  laugh 
when  I  see  them  writhing  in  the  sand  at  my  feet!" 

"Fool!"  cried  Setchem,  beside  herself.  "  I  am  but 
a  woman,  and  have  often  blamed  myself  for  being  soft 


100  UARDA. 

and  weak;  but  as  sure  as  I  am  faithful  to  your  dead 
father — whom  you  are  no  more  like  than  a  bramble  is 
like  a  palm-tree — so  surely  will  I  tear  my  love  for  you 
out  of  my  heart  if  you — if  you —  Now  I  see !  now  I 
know !  Answer  me — murderer !  Where  are  the  seven 
arrows  with  the  wicked  words  which  used  to  hang 
here?  Where  are  the  arrows  on  which  you  had 
scrawled  '  Death  to  Mena  ?'  " 

With  these  words  Setchem  breathlessly  started  for- 
ward, but  the  pioneer  drew  back  as  she  confronted  him, 
as  in  his  youthful  days  when  she  threatened  to  punish 
him  for  some  misdemeanor.  She  followed  him  up, 
caught  him  by  the  girdle,  and  in  a  hoarse  voice  re- 
peated her  question.  He  stood  still,  snatched  her  hand 
angrily  from  his  belt,  and  said  defiantly: 

"  I  have  put  them  in  my  quiver — and  not  for  mere 
play.  Now  you  know." 

Incapable  of  words,  the  maddened  woman  once 
more  raised  her  hand  against  her  degenerate  son,  but  he 
put  back  her  arm. 

"I  am  no  longer  a  child,"  he  said,  "and  I  am 
master  of  this  house.  I  will  do  what  I  will,  if  a  hun- 
dred women  hindered  me!"  and  with  these  words  he 
pointed  to  the  door.  Setchem  broke  into  loud  sobs, 
and  turned  her  back  upon  him;  but  at  the  door  once 
more  she  turned  to  look  at  him.  He  had  seated  him- 
self, and  was  resting  his  forehead  on  the  table  on  which 
the  bowl  of  cold  water  stood. 

Setchem  fought  a  hard  battle.  At  last  once  more 
through  her  choking  tears  she  called  his  name,  opened 
her  arms  wide  and  exclaimed: 

"Here  I  am — here  I  am!  Come  to  my  heart,  only 
give  up  these  hideous  thoughts  of  revenge." 


UARDA.  IOI 

But  Paaker  did  not  move,  he  did  not  look  up  at 
her,  he  did  not  speak,  he  only  shook  his  head  in  nega- 
tion. Setchem's  hands  fell,  and  she  said  softly: 

"What  did  your  father  teach  you  out  of  the  scrip- 
tures ?  '  Your  highest  praise  consists  in  this,  to  reward 
your  mother  for  what  she  has  done  for  you,  in  bringing 
you  up,  so  that  she  may  not  raise  her  hands  to  God, 
nor  He  hear  her  lamentation.'  "* 

At  these  words,  Paaker  sobbed  aloud,  but  he  did 
not  look  at  his  mother.  She  called  him  tenderly  by 
his  name;  then  her  eyes  fell  on  his  quiver,  which  lay 
on  a  bench  with  other  arms.  Her  heart  shrunk  within 
her,  and  with  a  trembling  voice  she  exclaimed: 

"  I  forbid  this  mad  vengeance — do  you  hear  ?  Will 
you  give  it  up  ?  You  do  not  move  ?  No !  you  will  not ! 
Ye  Gods,  what  can  I  do?" 

She  wrung  her  hands  in  despair;  then  she  hastily 
crossed  the  room,  snatched  out  one  of  the  arrows,  and 
strove  to  break  it.  Paaker  sprang  from  his  seat,  and 
wrenched  the  weapon  from  her  hand;  the  sharp  point 
slightly  scratched  the  skin,  and  dark  drops  of  blood 
flowed  from  it,  and  dropped  upon  the  floor. 

The  Mohar  would  have  taken  the  wounded  hand, 
for  Setchem,  who  had  the  weakness  of  never  being  able 
to  see  blood  flow — neither  her  own  nor  anybody's  else 
— had  turned  as  pale  as  death;  but  she  pushed  him 
from  her,  and  as  she  spoke  her  gentle  voice  had  a  dull 
estranged  tone. 

"This  hand,"  she  said — "a  mother's  hand  wounded 
by  her  son — shall  never  again  grasp  yours  till  you  have 
sworn  a  solemn  oath  to  put  away  from  you  all  thoughts 

*  From  Papyrus  IV.  containing  moral  precepts,  preserved  at  Bulaq,  Mari- 
etta edition. 


102  UARDA. 

of  revenge  and  murder,  and  not  to  disgrace  your  father's 
name.  I  have  said  it,  and  may  his  glorified  spirit  be 
my  witness,  and  give  me  strength  to  keep  my  word !" 

Paaker  had  fallen  on  his  knees,  and  was  engaged  in 
a  terrible  mental  struggle,  while  his  mother  slowly  went 
towards  the  door.  There  again  she  stood  still  for  a 
moment;  she  did  not  speak,  but  her  eyes  appealed  to 
him  once  more. 

In  vain.  At  last  she  left  the  room,  and  the  wind 
slammed  the  door  violently  behind  her.  Paaker 
groaned,  and  pressed  his  hand  over  his  eyes. 

"Mother,  mother!"  he  cried.  "I  cannot  go  back — 
I  cannot." 

A  fearful  gust  of  wind  howled  round  the  house,  and 
drowned  his  voice,  and  then  he  heard  two  tremendous 
claps,  as  if  rocks  had  been  hurled  from  heaven.  He 
started  up  and  went  to  the  window,  where  the  melan- 
choly grey  dawn  was  showing,  in  order  to  call  the 
slaves.  Soon  they  came  trooping  out,  and  the  steward 
called  out  as  soon  as  he  saw  him : 

"  The  storm  has  blown  down  the  masts  at  the  great 
gate !" 

"Impossible!"  cried  Paaker. 

"Yes,  indeed!"  answered  the  servant.  "They  have 
been  sawn  through  close  to  the  ground.  The  mat- 
maker  no  doubt  did  it,  whose  collar-bone  was  broken. 
He  has  escaped  in  this  fearful  night." 

"Let  out  the  dogs,"  cried  the  Mohar.  "All  who 
have  legs  run  after  the  blackguard !  Freedom,  and 
five  handfuls  of  gold  for  the  man  who  brings  him 
bacL" 


UARDA.  103 

The  guests  at  the  House  of  Seti  had  already  gone 
to  rest,  when  Ameni  was  informed  of  the  arrival  of 
the  sorceress,  and  he  at  once  went  into  the  hall,  where 
Ani  was  waiting  to  see  her;  the  Regent  roused  himself 
from  a  deep  reverie  when  he  heard  the  high-priest's 
steps. 

"Is  she  come?"  he  asked  hastily;  when  Ameni  an- 
swered in  the  affirmative  Ani  went  on — meanwhile 
carefully  disentangling  the  disordered  curls  of  his  wig, 
and  arranging  his  broad,  collar-shaped  necklace : 

"The  witch  may  exercise  some  influence  over  me; 
will  you  not  give  me  your  blessing  to  preserve  me  from 
her  spells  ?  It  is  true,  I  have  on  me  this  Horus'-eye, 
and  this  Isis-charm,*  but  one  never  knows — " 

"  My  presence  will  be  your  safe-guard,"  said  Ameni. 
"But — no,  of  course  you  wish  to  speak  with  her 
alone.  You  shall  be  conducted  to  a  room,  which  is 
protected  against  all  witchcraft  by  sacred  texts.  My 
brother,"  he  continued  to  one  of  the  serving-priests, 
"let  the  witch  be  taken  into  one  of  the  consecrated 
rooms,  and  then,  when  you  have  sprinkled  the 
threshold,  lead  my  lord  Ani  thither." 

The  high-priest  went  away,  and  into  a  small  room 
which  adjoined  the  hall  where  the  interview  between 
the  Regent  and  the  old  woman  was  about  to  take 
place,  and  where  the  softest  whisper  spoken  in  the 
larger  room  could  be  heard  by  means  of  an  ingeniously 
contrived  and  invisible  tube. 

When  Ani  saw  the  old  woman,  he  started  back  in 
horror;  her  appearance  at  this  moment  was,  in  fact, 

*  Amulet  in  the  shape  of  a  knot,  usually  made  of  a  blood-jasper  on  which 
was  inscribed  Chapter  75  or  Chapter  76  of  the  Ritual  of  the  Dead.  It  is 
called  "Blood  of  Isis,"  "Charm  of  Isis"  or  "Wisdom  (chu)  of  Isis." 


104  UARDA. 

frightful.  The  storm  had  tossed  and  torn  her  garments 
and  tumbled  all  her  thick,  white  hair,  so  that  locks  of 
it  fell  over  her  face.  She  leaned  on  a  staff,  and  bend- 
ing far  forward  looked  steadily  at  the  Regent;  and  her 
eyes,  red  and  smarting  from  the  sand  which  the  wind 
had  flung  in  her  face,  seemed  to  glow  as  she  fixed 
them  on  his.  She  looked  as  a  hyaena  might  when 
creeping  to  seize  its  prey,  and  Ani  felt  a  cold  shiver  as 
he  heard  her  hoarse  voice  addressing  him  to  greet  him, 
and  to  represent  that  he  had  chosen  a  strange  hour  for 
requiring  her  to  speak  with  him. 

When  she  had  thanked  him  for  his  promise  of  re- 
newing her  letter  of  freedom,  and  had  confirmed  the 
statement  that  Paaker  had  had  a  love-philter  from  her, 
she  parted  her  hair  from  off  her  face — it  occurred  to 
her  that  she  was  a  woman. 

The  Regent  sat  in  an  arm-chair,  she  stood  before 
him ;  but  the  struggle  with  the  storm  had  tired  her  old 
limbs,  and  she  begged  Ani  to  permit  her  to  be  seated, 
as  she  had  a  long  story  to  tell,  which  would  put  Paaker 
into  his  power,  so  that  he  would  find  him  as  yielding 
as  wax.  The  Regent  signed  her  to  a  corner  of  the  room, 
and  she  squatted  down  on  the  pavement. 

When  he  desired  her  to  proceed  with  her  story,  she 
looked  at  the  floor  for  some  time  in  silence,  and  then 
began,  as  if  half  to  herself: 

"  I  will  tell  thee,  that  I  may  find  peace — I  do  not 
want,  when  I  die,  to  be  buried  unembalmed.  Who  knows 
but  perhaps  strange  things  may  happen  in  the  other 
world,  and  I  would  not  wish  to  miss  them.  I  want  to 
see  him  again  down  there,  even  if  it  were  in  the  seventh 
limbo  of  the  damned.  Listen  to  me !  But,  before  I 
speak,  promise  me  that  whatever  I  tell  thee,  thou  wilt 


UARDA.  105 

leave  me  in  peace,  and  will  see  that  I  am  embalmed 
when  I  am  dead.  Else  I  will  not  speak." 

Ani  bowed  consent. 

"  No — no,"  she  said.  "  I  will  tell  thee  what  to  swear : 
'  If  I  do  not  keep  my  word  to  Hekt — who  gives  the 
Mohar  into  my  power — may  the  Spirits  whom  she 
rules,  annihilate  me  before  I  mount  the  throne.'  Do 
not  be  vexed,  my  lord — and  say  only  '  Yes.'  What  I 
can  tell,  is  worth  more  than  a  mere  word." 

"  Well  then — yes !"  cried  the  Regent,  eager  for  the 
mighty  revelation. 

The  old  woman  muttered  a  few  unintelligible  words; 
then  she  collected  herself,  stretched  out  her  lean  neck, 
and  asked,  as  she  fixed  her  sparkling  eyes  on  the  man 
before  her  : 

"  Did'st  thou  ever,  when  thou  wert  young,  hear  of 
the  singer  Beki  ?  Well,  look  at  me,  I  am  she." 

She  laughed  loud  and  hoarsely,  and  drew  her 
tattered  robe  across  her  bosom,  as  if  half  ashamed  of 
her  unpleasing  person. 

"  Ay  !"  she  continued.  "  Men  find  pleasure  in  grapes 
by  treading  them  down,  and  when  the  must  is  drunk 
the  skins  are  thrown  on  the  dung-hill.  Grape-skins,  that 
is  what  I  am — but  you  need  not  look  at  me  so  piti- 
fully ;  I  was  grapes  once,  and  poor  and  despised  as  I  am 
now,  no  one  can  take  from  me  what  I  have  had  and 
have  been.  Mine  has  been  a  life  out  of  a  thousand,  a 
complete  life,  full  to  overflowing  of  joy  and  suffering,  of 
love  and  hate,  of  delight,  despair,  and  revenge.  Only 
to  talk  of  it  raises  me  to  a  seat  by  thy  throne  there. — 
No,  let  me  be,  I  am  used  now  to  squatting  on  the 
ground ;  but  I  knew  thou  wouldst  hear  me  to  the  end, 

for  once  I  too  was  one  of  you.     Extremes  meet  in  all 
29 


106  UARDA. 

things — I  know  it  by  experience.  The  greatest  men  will 
hold  out  a  hand  to  a  beautiful  woman,  and  time  was 
when  I  could  lead  you  all  as  with  a  rope.  Shall  I  be- 
gin at  the  beginning  ?  Well — I  seldom  am  in  the  mood 
for  it  now-a-days.  Fifty  years  ago  I  sang  a  song  with 
this  voice  of  mine ;  an  old  crow  like  me  ?  sing !  But  so 
it  was.  My  father  was  a  man  of  rank,  the  governor  of 
Abydos ;  when  the  first  Rameses  took  possession  of  the 
throne  my  father  was  faithful  to  the  house  of  thy  fathers, 
so  the  new  king  sent  us  all  to  the  gold  mines,  and  there 
they  all  died — my  parents,  brothers,  and  sisters.  I  only 
survived  by  some  miracle.  As  I  was  handsome  and 
sang  well,  a  music  master  took  me  into  his  band, 
brought  me  to  Thebes,  and  wherever  there  was  a  feast 
given  in  any  great  house,  Beki  was  in  request.  Of 
flowers  and  money  and  tender  looks  I  had  a  plentiful 
harvest ;  but  I  was  proud  and  cold,  and  the  misery  of 
my  people  had  made  me  bitter  at  an  age  when  usually 
even  bad  liquor  tastes  of  honey.  Not  one  of  all  the 
gay  young  fellows,  princes'  sons,  and  nobles,  dared  to 
touch  my  hand.  But  my  hour  was  to  come ;  the  hand- 
somest and  noblest  man  of  them  all,  and  grave  and 
dignified  too — was  Assa,  the  old  Mohar's  father,  and 
grandfather  of  Pentaur — no,  I  should  say  of  Paaker,  the 
pioneer ;  thou  hast  known  him.  Well,  wherever  I  sang, 
he  sat  opposite  me,  and  gazed  at  me,  and  I  could  not 
take  my  eyes  off  him,  and — thou  canst  tell  the  rest! — 
no !  Well,  no  woman  before  or  after  me  can  ever  love 
a  man  as  I  loved  Assa.  Why — dost  thou  not  laugh  ?  It 
must  seem  odd,  too,  to  hear  such  a  thing  from  the  tooth- 
less mouth  of  an  old  witch.  He  is  dead,  long  since 
dead.  I  hate  him  !  and  yet — wild  as  it  sounds — I  be- 
lieve I  love  him  yet.  And  he  loved  me — for  two  years; 


UARDA.  107 

then  he  went  to  the  war  with  Seti,  and  remained  a  long 
time  away,  and  when  I  saw  him  again  he  had  courted 
the  daughter  of  some  rich  and  noble  house.  I  was 
handsome  enough  still,  but  he  never  looked  at  me  at 
the  banquets.  I  came  across  him  at  least  twenty  times, 
but  he  avoided  me  as  if  I  were  tainted  with  leprosy, 
and  I  began  to  fret,  and  fell  ill  of  a  fever.  The  doctors 
said  it  was  all  over  with  me,  so  I  sent  him  a  letter  in 
which  there  was  nothing  but  these  words :  '  Beki  is  dy- 
ing, and  would  like  to  see  Assa  once  more,'  and  in  the 
papyrus  I  put  his  first  present — a  plain  ring.  And  what 
was  the  answer  ?  a  handful  of  gold !  Gold — gold  !  Thou 
may'st  believe  me,  when  I  say  that  the  sight  of  it  was 
more  torturing  to  my  eyes  than  the  iron  with  which  they 
put  out  the  eyes  of  criminals.  Even  now,  when  I  think 
of  it — But  what  do  you  men,  you  lords  of  rank  and 
wealth,  know  of  a  breaking  heart  ?  When  two  or  three 
of  you  happen  to  meet,  and  if  thou  should'st  tell  the 
story,  the  most  respectable  will  say  in  a  pompous  voice : 
'  The  man  acted  nobly  indeed ;  he  was  married,  and  his 
wife  would  have  complained  with  justice  if  he  had  gone 
to  see  the  singer.'  Am  I  right  or  wrong  ?  I  know;  not 
one  will  remember  that  the  other  was  a  woman,  a  feel- 
ing human  being ;  it  will  occur  to  no  one  that  his  deed 
on  the  one  hand  saved  an  hour  of  discomfort,  and  on 
the  other  wrought  half  a  century  of  despair.  Assa  es- 
caped his  wife's  scolding,  but  a  thousand  curses  have 
fallen  on  him  and  on  his  house.  How  virtuous  he  felt 
himself  when  he  had  crushed  and  poisoned  a  passionate 
heart  that  had  never  ceased  to  love  him!  Ay,  and  he 
would  have  come  if  he  had  not  still  felt  some  love  for 
me,  if  he  had  not  misdoubted  himself,  and  feared  that 
the  dying  woman  might  once  more  light  up  the  fire  he 


Io8  UARDA. 

had  so  carefully  smothered  and  crushed  out.  I  would 
have  grieved  for  him — but  that  he  should  send  me 
money,  money  ! — that  I  have  never  forgiven ;  that  he 
shall  atone  for  in  his  grandchild."  The  old  woman 
spoke  the  last  words  as  if  in  a  dream,  and  without 
seeming  to  remember  her  hearer.  Ani  shuddered,  as  if 
he  were  in  the  presence  of  a  mad  woman,  and  he  in- 
voluntarily drew  his  chair  back  a  little  way. 

The  witch  observed  this ;  she  took  breath  and  went 
on  :  "  You  lords,  who  walk  in  high  places,  do  not  know 
how  things  go  on  in  the  depths  beneath  you ; — you  do 
not  choose  to  know. 

"  But  I  will  shorten  my  story.  I  got  well,  but  I  got 
out  of  my  bed  thin  and  voiceless.  I  had  plenty  of 
money,  and  I  spent  it  in  buying  of  everyone  who  pro- 
fessed magic  in  Thebes,  potions  to  recover  Assa's  love 
for  me,  or  in  paying  for  spells  to  be  cast  on  him,  or  for 
magic  drinks  to  destroy  him.  I  tried  too  to  recover 
my  voice,  but  the  medicines  I  took  for  it  made  it  rougher 
not  sweeter.  Then  an  excommunicated  priest,  who  was 
famous  among  the  magicians,  took  me  into  his  house, 
and  there  I  learned  many  things ;  his  old  companions 
afterwards  turned  upon  him,  he  came  over  here  into 
the  Necropolis,  and  I  came  with  him.  When  at  last  he 
was  taken  and  hanged,  I  remained  in  his  cave,  and  my- 
self took  to  witchcraft.  Children  point  their  fingers 
at  me,  honest  men  and  women  avoid  me,  I  am  an 
abomination  to  all  men,  nay  to  myself.  And  one  only  is 
guilty  of  all  this  ruin — the  noblest  gentleman  in  Thebes 
— the  pious  Assa. 

"  I  had  practised  magic  for  several  years,  and  had 
become  learned  in  many  arts,  when  one  day  the  gar- 
dener Sent,  from  whom  I  was  accustomed  to  buy  plants 


UARDA.  109 

for  my  mixtures — he  rents  a  plot  of  ground  from  the 
temple  of  Seti — Sent  brought  me  a  new-born  child  that 
had  been  born  with  six  toes;  I  was  to  remove  the  su- 
pernumerary toe  by  my  art.  The  pious  mother  of  the 
child  was  lying  ill  of  fever,  or  she  never  would  have 
allowed  it;  I  took  the  screaming  little  wretch — for  such 
things  are  sometimes  curable.  The  next  morning,  a  few 
hours  after  sunrise,  there  was  a  bustle  in  front  of  my 
cave;  a  maid,  evidently  belonging  to  a  noble  house, 
was  calling  me.  Her  mistress,  she  said,  had  come  with 
her  to  visit  the  tomb  of  her  fathers,  and  there  had  been 
taken  ill,  and  had  given  birth  to  a  child.  Her  mistress 
was  lying  senseless — I  must  go  at  once,  and  help  her. 
I  took  the  little  six-toed  brat  in  my  cloak,  told  my  slave- 
girl  to  follow  me  with  water,  and  soon  found  myself — 
as  thou  canst  guess — at  the  tomb  of  Assa's  ancestors. 
The  poor  woman,  who  lay  there  in  convulsions,  was 
his  daughter-in-law  Setchem.  The  baby,  a  boy,  was 
as  sound  as  a  nut,  but  she  was  evidently  in  great  dan- 
ger. I  sent  the  maid  with  the  litter,  which  was  waiting 
outside,  to  the  temple  here  for  help;  the  girl  said  that 
her  master,  the  father  of  the  child,  was  at  the  war, 
but  that  the  grandfather,  the  noble  Assa,  had  promised 
to  me"et  the  lady  Setchem  at  the  tomb,  and  would 
shortly  be  coming;  then  she  disappeared  with  the  litter. 
I  washed  the  child,  and  kissed  it  as  if  it  were  my  own. 
Then  I  heard  distant  steps  in  the  valley,  and  the  recol- 
lection of  the  moment  when  I,  lying  at  the  point  of 
death,  had  received  that  gift  of  money  from  Assa  came 
over  me,  and  then — I  do  not  know  myself  how  it 
happened — I  gave  the  new-born  grandchild  of  Assa  to 
my  slave-girl,  and  told  her  to  carry  it  quickly  to  the 
cave,  and  I  wrapped  the  little  six-toed  baby  in  my  rags 


110  UARDA. 

and  held  it  in  my  lap.  There  I  sat — and  the  minutes 
seemed  hours,  till  Assa  came  up ;  and  when  he  stood 
before  me,  grown  grey,  it  is  true,  but  still  handsome 
and  upright — I  put  the  gardener's  boy,  the  six-toed 
brat,  into  his  very  arms,  and  a  thousand  demons  seemed 
to  laugh  hoarsely  within  me.  He  thanked  me,  he  did 
not  know  me,  and  once  more  he  offered  me  a  handful 
of  gold.  I  took  it,  and  I  listened  as  the  priest,  who  had 
come  from  the  temple,  prophesied  all  sorts  of  fine 
things  for  the  little  one,  who  was  bom  in  so  fortunate 
an  hour;  and  then  I  went  back  into  my  cave,  and  there 
I  laughed  till  I  cried,  though  I  do  not  know  that  the 
tears  sprang  from  the  laughter. 

"A  few  days  after  I  gave  Assa's  grandchild  to  the 
gardener,  and  told  him  the  sixth  toe  had  come  off; 
I  had  made  a  little  wound  on  his  foot  to  take  in  the 
bumpkin.  So  Assa's  grandchild,  the  son  of  the  Mohar, 
grew  up  as  the  gardener's  child,  and  received  the  name 
of  Pentaur,  and  he  was  brought  up  in  the  temple  here, 
and  is  wonderfully  like  Assa;  but  the  gardener's  mon- 
strous brat  is  the  pioneer  Paaker.  That  is  the  whole 
secret." 

Ani  had  listened  in  silence  to  the  terrible  old 
woman. 

We  are  involuntarily  committed  to  any  one  who 
can  inform  us  of  some  absorbing  fact,  and  who  knows 
how  to  make  the  information  valuable.  It  did  not  oc- 
cur to  the  Regent  to  punish  the  witch  for  her  crimes; 
he  thought  rather  of  his  older  friends'  rapture  when  they 
talked  of  the  singer  Beki's  songs  and  beauty.  He 
looked  at  the  woman,  and  a  cold  shiver  ran  through 
all  his  limbs. 

"  You    may  live   in  peace,"   he  said  at  last ;    "  and 


UARDA.  Ill 

when  you  die  I  will  see  to  your  being  embalmed:  but 
give  up  your  black  arts.  You  must  be  rich,  and,  if  you 
are  not,  say  what  you  need.  Indeed,  I  scarcely  dare 
offer  you  gold — it  excites  your  hatred,  as  I  under- 
stand." 

"  I  could  take  thine — but  now  let  me  go !" 

She  got  up,  and  went  towards  the  door,  but  the 
Regent  called  to  her  to  stop,  and  asked : 

"  Is  Assa  the  father  of  your  son,  the  little  Nemu, 
the  dwarf  of  the  lady  Katuti  ?" 

The  witch  laughed  loudly.  "  Is  the  little  wretch 
like  Assa  or  like  Beki  ?  I  picked  him  up  like  many 
other  children." 

"  But  he  is  clever !"  said  Ani. 

"  Ay — that  he  is.  He  has  planned  many  a  shrewd 
stroke,  and  is  devoted  to  his  mistress.  He  will  help 
thee  to  thy  purpose,  for  he  himself  has  one  too." 

"  And  that  is — ?" 

"  Katuti  will  rise  to  greatness  with  thee,  and  to  riches 
through  Paaker,  who  sets  out  to-morrow  to  make  the 
woman  he  loves  a  widow." 

"  You  know  a  great  deal,"  said  Ani  meditatively, 
"  and  I  would  ask  you  one  thing  more ;  though  indeed 
your  story  has  supplied  the  answer — but  perhaps  you 
know  more  now  than  you  did  in  your  youth.  Is  there 
in  truth  any  effectual  love-philter  ?" 

"  I  will  not  deceive  thee,  for  I  desire  that  thou 
should'st  keep  thy  word  to  me,"  replied  Hekt.  "  A  love 
potion  rarely  has  any  effect,  and  never  but  on  women 
who  have  never  before  loved.  If  it  is  given  to  a  woman 
whose  heart  is  filled  with  the  image  of  anothec  man 
her  passion  for  him  only  will  grow  the  stronger." 


1 1 2  UARDA. 

"  Yet  another,"  said  Ani.  "  Is  there  any  way  of  de- 
stroying an  enemy  at  a  distance  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  witch.  "  Little  people  may  do 
mean  things,  and  great  people  can  let  others  do  things 
that  they  cannot  do  themselves.  My  story  has  stirred 
thy  gall,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  thou  dost  not  love 
the  poet  Pentaur.  A  smile !  Well  then — I  have  not  lost 
sight  of  him,  and  I  know  he  is  grown  up  as  proud  and 
as  handsome  as  Assa.  He  is  wonderfully  like  him,  and 
I  could  have  loved  him — have  loved  as  this  foolish 
heart  had  better  never  have  loved.  It  is  strange !  In 
many  women,  who  come  to  me,  I  see  how  their  hearts 
cling  to  the  children  of  men  who  have  abandoned 
them,  and  we  women  are  all  alike,  in  most  things.  But 
I  will  not  let  myself  love  Assa's  grandchild — I  must 
not.  I  will  injure  him,  and  help  everyone  that  per- 
secutes him;  for  though  Assa  is  dead,  the  wrongs  he  did 
me  live  in  me  so  long  as  I  live  myself.  Pentaur's  des- 
tiny must  go  on  its  course.  If  thou  wilt  have  his  life, 
consult  with  Nemu,  for  he  hates  him  too,  and  he  will 
serve  thee  more  effectually  than  I  can  with  -my  vain 
spells  and  silly  harmless  brews.  Now  let  me  go 
home !" 

A  few  hours  later  Ameni  sent  to  invite  the  Regent 
to  breakfast. 

"  Do  you  know  who  the  witch  Hekt  is  ?"  asked  Ani. 

"  Certainly — how  should  I  not  know?  She  is  the  singer 
Beki — the  former  enchantress  of  Thebes.  May  I  ask 
what  her  communications  were  ?" 

Ani  thought  it  best  not  to  confide  the  secret  of 
Pentaur's  birth  to  the  high-priest,  and  answered  eva- 
sively. Then  Ameni  begged  to  be  allowed  to  give  him 


UARDA.  113 

some  information  about  the  old  woman,  and  how  she 
had  had  a  hand  in  the  game ;  and  he  related  to  his 
hearer,  with  some  omissions  and  variations — as  if  it 
were  a  fact  he  had  long  known — the  very  story  which 
a  few  hours  since  he  had  overheard,  and  learned  for 
the  first  time.  Ani  feigned  great  astonishment,  and 
agreed  with  the  high -priest  that  Paaker  should  not  for 
the  present  be  informed  of  his  true  origin. 

"  He  is  a  strangely  constituted  man,"  said  Ameni, 
"  and  he  is  not  incapable  of  playing  us  some  unfore- 
seen trick  before  he  has  done  his  part,  if  he  is  told 
who  he  is." 

The  storm  had  exhausted  itself,  and  the  sky,  though 
covered  still  with  torn  and  flying  clouds,  cleared  by 
degrees,  as  the  morning  went  on  ;  a  sharp  coolness 
succeeded  the  hot  blast,  but  the  sun  as  it  mounted 
higher  and  higher  soon  heated  the  air.  On  the  roads 
and  in  the  gardens  lay  uprooted  trees  and  many  slightly- 
built  houses  which  had  been  blown  down,  while  the 
tents  in  the  strangers'  quarter,  and  hundreds  of  light 
palm-thatched  roofs,  had  been  swept  away. 

The  Regent  was  returning  to  Thebes,  and  with  him 
went  Ameni,  who  desired  to  ascertain  by  his  own  eyes 
what  mischief  the  whirlwind  had  done  to  his  garden 
in  the  city.  On  the  Nile  they  met  Paaker's  boat,  and 
Ani  caused  it  and  his  own  to  be  stopped,  while  he 
requested  Paaker  to  visit  him  shortly  at  the  palace. 

The  high-priest's  garden  was  in  no  respect  inferior 
in  beauty  and  extent  to  that  of  the  Mohar.  The 
ground  had  belonged  to  his  family  from  the  remotest 
generations,  and  his  house  was  large  and  magnificent. 
He  seated  himself  in  a  shady  arbor,  to  take  a  repast 


114  UARDA. 

with  his  still  handsome  wife  and  his  young  and  pretty 
daughters. 

He  consoled  his  wife  for  the  various  damage  done 
by  the  hurricane,  promised  the  girls  to  build  a  new 
and  handsomer  dove-cot  in  the  place  of  the  one  which 
had  been  blown  down,  and  laughed  and  joked  with  them 
all ;  for  here  the  severe  head  of  the  House  of  Seti,  the 
grave  Superior  of  the  Necropolis,  became  a  simple  man, 
an  affectionate  husband,  a  tender  father,  a  judicious 
friend,  among  his  children,  his  flowers,  and  his  birds. 
His  youngest  daughter  clung  to  his  right  arm,  and  an 
older  one  to  his  left,  when  he  rose  from  table  to  go 
with  them  to  the  poultry-yard. 

On   the   way  thither   a  servant  announced  to  him 
that  the  Lady  Setchem  wished  to  see  him. 
"  Take  her  to  your  mistress,"  he  said. 

But  the  slave — who  held  in  his  hand  a  handsome 
gift  in  money — explained  that  the  widow  wished  to 
speak  with  him  alone. 

"  Can  I  never  enjoy  an  hour's  peace  like  other  men  ?" 
exclaimed  Ameni  annoyed.  "  Your  mistress  can  receive 
her,  and  she  can  wait  with  her  till  I  come.  It  is  true, 
girls — is  it  not  ? — that  I  belong  to  you  just  now,  and 
to  the  fowls,  and  ducks,  and  pigeons  ?" 

His  youngest  daughter  kissed  him,  the  second 
patted  him  affectionately,  and  they  all  three  went  gaily 
forward.  An  hour  later  he  requested  the  Lady  Setchem 
to  accompany  him  into  the  garden. 

The  poor,  anxious,  and  frightened  woman  had  re- 
solved on  this  step  with  much  difficulty ;  tears  filled 
her  kind  eyes,  as  she  communicated  her  troubles  to 
the  high-priest. 

•'  Thou  art  a  wise  counsellor/'  she  said,  "  and  thou 


UARDA.  115 

knowest  well  how  my  son  honors  the  Gods  of  the 
temple  of  Seti  with  gifts  and  offerings.  He  will  not 
listen  to  his  mother,  but  thou  hast  influence  with  him. 
He  meditates  frightful  things,  and  if  he  cannot  be 
terrified  by  threats  of  punishment  from  the  Immortals, 
he  will  raise  his  hand  against  Mena,  and  perhaps — " 

"  Against  the  king,"  interrupted  Ameni  gravely.  "  I 
know  it,  and  I  will  speak  to  him." 

"  Thanks,  oh  a  thousand  thanks  !"  cried  the  widow, 
and  she  seized  the  high-priests  robe  to  kiss  it.  "  It  was 
thou  who  soon  after  his  birth  didst  tell  my  husband 
that  he  was  born  under  a  lucky  star,  and  would  grow 
to  be  an  honor  and  an  ornament  to  his  house  and 
to  his  country.  And  now — now  he  will  ruin  himself 
in  this  world,  and  the  next." 

"  What  I  foretold  of  your  son,"  said  Ameni,  "  shall 
assuredly  be  fulfilled,  for  the  ways  of  the  Gods  ate  not 
as  the  ways  of  men." 

"  Thy  words  do  me  good  !"  cried  Setchem.  '•  None 
can  tell  what  fearful  terror  weighed  upon  my  heart, 
when  I  made  up  my  mind  to  come  here.  But  thou 
dost  not  yet  know  all.  The  great  masts  of  cedar,  which 
Paaker  sent  from  Lebanon  to  Thebes  to  bear  our  ban- 
ners, and  ornament  our  gateway,  were  thrown  to  the 
ground  at  sunrise  by  the  frightful  wind." 

"Thus  shall  your  son's  defiant  spirit  be  broken," 
said  Ameni ;  "  But  for  you,  if  you  have  patience,  new 
joys  shall  arise." 

"  I  thank  thee  again,"  said  Setchem.  "  But  some- 
thing yet  remains  to  be  said.  I  know  that  I  am  wast- 
ing the  time  that  thou  dost  devote  to  thy  family,  and 
I  remember  thy  saying  once  that  here  in  Thebes  thou 
wert  like  a  pack-horse  with  his  load  taken  off0  and  fret: 


Jl6  UARDA. 

to  wander  over  a  green  meadow.  I  will  not  disturb 
thee  much  longer — but  the  Gods  sent  me  such  a  won- 
derful vision.  Paaker  would  not  listen  to  me,  and  I 
went  back  into  my  room  full  of  sorrow ;  and  when  at 
last,  after  the  sun  had  risen,  I  fell  asleep  for  a  few 
minutes,  I  dreamed  I  saw  before  me  the  poet  Pentaur, 
who  is  wonderfully  like  my  dead  husband  in  ap- 
pearance and  in  voice.  Paaker  went  up  to  him,  and 
abused  him  violently,  and  threatened  him  with  his 
fist;  the  priest  raised  his  arms  in  prayer,  just  as  I  saw 
him  yesterday  at  the  festival — but  not  in  devotion,  but 
to  seize  Paaker,  and  wrestle  with  him.  The  struggle 
did  not  last  long,  for  Paaker  seemed  to  shrink  up,  and 
lost  his  human  form,  and  fell  at  the  poet's  feet — not 
my  son,  but  a  shapeless  lump  of  clay  such  as  the  potter 
uses  to  make  jars  of." 

"  A  strange  dream !"  exclaimed  Ameni,  not  without 
agitation.  "A  very  strange  dream,  but  it  bodes  you 
good.  Clay,  Setchem,  is  yielding,  and  clearly  indicates 
that  which  the  Gods  prepare  for  you.  The  Immortals 
will  give  you  a  new  and  a  better  son  instead  of  the 
old  one,  but  it  is  not  revealed  to  me  by  what  means. 
Go  now,  and  sacrifice  to  the  Gods,  and  trust  to  the  wis- 
dom of  those  who  guide  the  life  of  the  universe,  and 
of  all  mortal  creatures.  Yet — I  would  give  you  one 
more  word  of  advice.  If  Paaker  comes  to  you  repentant, 
receive  him  kindly,  and  let  me  know ;  but  if  he  will 
not  yield,  close  your  rooms  against  him,  and  let  him 
depart  without  taking  leave  of  you." 

When  Setchem,  much  encouraged,  was  gone  away, 
Ameni  said  to  himself: 

"  She  will  find  splendid  compensation  for  this  coarse 
scoundrel,  and  she  shall  not  spoil  the  tool  we  need  to 


UARDA.  117 

strike  our  blow  .  I  have  often  doubted  how  far  dreams 
do,  indeed,  foretell  the  future,  but  to-day  my  faith  in 
them  is  increased.  Certainly  a  mother's  heart  sees 
farther  than  that  of  any  other  human  being." 

At  the  door  of  her  house  Setchem  came  up  with 
her  son's  chariot.  They  saw  each  other,  but  both 
looked  away,  for  they  could  not  meet  affectionately, 
and  would  not  meet  coldly.  As  the  horses  outran  the 
litter-bearers,  the  mother  and  son  looked  round  at 
each  other,  their  eyes  met,  and  each  felt  a  stab  in 
the  heart. 

In  the  evening  the  pioneer,  after  he  had  had  an 
interview  with  the  Regent,  went  to  the  temple  of  Seti 
to  receive  Ameni's  blessing  on  all  his  undertakings. 
Then,  after  sacrificing  in  the  tomb  of  his  ancestors,  he 
set  out  for  Syria. 

Just  as  he  was  getting  into  his  chariot,  news  was 
brought  him  that  the  mat-maker,  who  had  sawn  through 
the  masts  at  the  gate,  had  been  caught. 

"  Put  out  his  eyes !"  he  cried ;  and  these  were  the 
last  words  he  spoke  as  he  quitted  his  home. 

Setchem  looked  after  him  for  a  long  time;  she  had 
refused  to  bid  him  farewell,  and  now  she  implored  the 
Gods  to  turn  his  heart,  and  to  preserve  him  from  malice 
and  crime. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

THREE  days  had  passed  since  the  pioneer's  depar- 
ture, and  although  it  was  still  early,  busy  occupation 
was  astir  in  Bent-Anat's  work-rooms. 

The  ladies  had  passed  the  stormy  night,  which  had 


Il8  UARDA. 

succeeded  the  exciting  evening  of  the  festival,  without 
sleep. 

Nefert  felt  tired  and  sleepy  the  next  morning,  and 
begged  the  princess  to  introduce  her  to  her  new  duties 
for  the  first  time  next  day ;  but  the  princess  spoke  to 
her  encouragingly,  told  her  that  no  man  should  put 
off  doing  right  till  the  morrow,  and  urged  her  to  follow 
her  into  her  workshop. 

"  We  must  both  come  to  different  minds,"  said  she. 
"  I  often  shudder  involuntarily,  and  feel  as  if  I  bore  a 
brand — as  if  I  had  a  stain  here  on  my  shoulder  where 
it  was  touched  by  Paaker's  rough  hand." 

The  first  day  of  labor  gave  Nefert  a  good  many 
difficulties  to  overcome ;  on  the  second  day  the  work 
she  had  begun  already  had  a  charm  for  her,  and  by 
the  third  she  rejoiced  in  the  little  results  of  her  care. 

Bent-Anat  had  put  her  in  the  right  place,  for  she 
had  the  direction  of  a  large  number  of  young  girls 
and  women,  the  daughters,  wives,  and  widows  of  those 
Thebans  who  were  at  the  war,  or  who  had  fallen  in 
the  field,  who  sorted  and  arranged  the  healing  herbs. 

Her  helpers  sat  in  little  circles  on  the  ground ;  in 
the  midst  of  each  lay  a  great  heap  of  fresh  and  dry 
plants,  and  in  front  of  each  work- woman  a  number  of 
parcels  of  the  selected  roots,  leaves,  and  flowers. 

An  old  physician  presided  over  the  whole,  and  had 
shown  Nefert  the  first  day  the  particular  plants  which 
he  needed. 

The  wife  of  Mena,  who  was  fond  of  flowers,  had 
soon  learnt  them  all,  and  she  taught  willingly,  for  she 
loved  children. 

She  soon  had  favorites  among  the  children,   and 


UARDA.  Iig 

knew  some  as  being  industrious  and  careful,  others  as 
idle  and  heedless 

"  Ay !  ay !"  she  exclaimed,  bending  over  a  little  half- 
naked  maiden  with  great  almond-shaped  eyes.  "  You 
are  mixing  them  all  together.  Your  father,  as  you  tell 
me,  is  at  the  war.  Suppose,  now,  an  arrow  were  to 
strike  him,  and  this  plant,  which  would  hurt  him,  were 
laid  on  the  burning  wound  instead  of  this  other,  which 
would  do  him  good — that  would  be  very  sad." 

The  child  nodded  her  head,  and  looked  her  work 
through  again.  Nefert  turned  to  a  little  idler,  and  said: 
"  You  are  chattering  again,  and  doing  nothing,  and  yet 
your  father  is  in  the  field.  If  he  were  ill  now,  and  has 
no  medicine,  and  if  at  night  when  he  is  asleep  he  dreams 
of  you,  and  sees  you  sitting  idle,  he  may  say  to  himself: 
*  Now  I  might  get  well,  but  my  little  girl  at  home  does 
not  love  me,  for  she  would  rather  sit  with  her  hands  in 
her  lap  than  sort  herbs  for  her  sick  father.'  " 

Then  Nefert  turned  to  a  large  group  of  the  girls, 
who  were  sorting  plants,  and  said  :  "  Do  you,  children, 
know  the  origin  of  all  these  wholesome,  healing  herbs  ? 
The  good  Horus  went  out  to  fight  against  Seth,  the 
murderer  of  his  father,  and  the  horrible  enemy  wounded 
Horus  in  the  eye  *  in  the  struggle ;  but  the  son  of 
Osiris  conquered,  for  good  always  conquers  evil.  But 
when  Isis  saw  the  bad  wound,  she  pressed  her  son's 
head  to  her  bosom,  and  her  heart  was  as  sad  as  that 
of  any  poor  human  mother  that  holds  her  suffering 
child  in  her  arms.  And  she  thought :  '  How  easy  it  is 
to  give  wounds,  and  how  hard  it  is  to  heal  them !'  and 
so  she  wept;  one  tear  after  another  fell  on  the  earth, 

*  According  to  the  "  Book  of  the  Dead,"  and  Isis  also  heals  the  eye  ol 
Horus. 


I2O  UARDA. 

and  wherever  they  wetted  the  ground  there  sprang  up 
a  kindly  healing  plant."* 

"  Isis  is  good !"  cried  a  little  girl  opposite  to  her. 
"  Mother  says  Isis  loves  children  when  they  are  good." 

"  Your  mother  is  right,"  replied  Nefert.  "  Isis  her- 
self has  her  dear  little  son  Horus;  and  every  human 
being  that  dies,  and  that  was  good,  becomes  a  child 
again,  and  the  Goddess  makes  it  her  own,  and  takes  it 
to  her  breast,  and  nurses  it  with  her  sister  Nephthys** 
till  he  grows  up  and  can  fight  for  his  father." 

Nefert  observed  that  while  she  spoke  one  of  the 
women  was  crying.  She  went  up  to  her,  and  learned 
that  her  husband  and  her  son  were  both  dead,  the 
former  in  Syria,  and  the  latter  after  his  return  to  Egypt. 

"  Poor  soul !"  said  Nefert.  "  Now  you  will  be  very 
careful,  that  the  wounds  of  others  may  be  healed.  I 
will  tell  you  something  more  about  Isis.  She  loved 
her  husband  Osiris  dearly,  as  you  did  your  dead  hus- 
band, and  I  my  husband  Mena,  but  he  fell  a  victim  to 
the  cunning  of  Seth,  and  she  could  not  tell  where  to 
find  the  body  that  had  been  carried  away,  while  you 
can  visit  your  husband  in  his  grave.  Then  Isis  went 
through  the  land  lamenting,  and  ah !  what  was  to  be- 
come of  Egypt,  which  received  all  its  fruitfulness  from 
Osiris.  The  sacred  Nile  was  dried  up,  and  not  a  blade 

*  The  Egyptians  attributed  creative  power  to  the  blood  and  the  tears  of 
the  Gods.  Leiebure  has  treated  the  subject  in  "  Le  Mythe  Osirien."  In  "the 
praises  of  Ra,"  edited  by  Naville,  the  God  is  addressed  as  "  Remi,"  i.  e.,  the 
weeper ;  and  in  the  sentences  found  with  the  pictures  of  the  four  races  of  men 
in  the  tomb  of  Seti  I.,  at  Biban  el  Muluk,  there  is  a  passage  from  which  it 
appears  that  man  also  sprang  from  the  tears  of  the  God,  since  he  thus  addresses 
the  people :  "  Ye  are  a  tear  from  mine  eyes,  Ye  who  are  called  Men  !" 

**  As  Isis  is  the  mother,  so  Nephthys  is  represented  as  the  nurse  and  teacher 
of  Horus.  On  the  island  of  Philae,  we  see  one  ol  the  Ptolemies  represented  as  a 
young  God,  receiving  instruction  from  Nephthys  in  the  art  of  playing  on  the  harp. 
Osiris  loved  both  goddesses,  and  both  are  represented  mourning  by  his  bier,  one 
at  the  head  and  the  other  at  the  foot.  Their  song  of  lamentation  has  been  pre- 
served on  a  papyrus  in  the  Berlin  Museum,  treated  by  de  Horrak. 


UARDA.  121 

of  verdure  was  green  on  its  banks.  The  Goddess 
grieved  over  this  beyond  words,  and  one  of  her  tears 
fell  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  immediately  it  began 
to  rise.  You  know,  of  course,  that  each  inundation 
arises  from  a  tear  of  Isis.*  Thus  a  widow's  sorrow  may 
bring  blessing  to  millions  of  human  beings." 

The  woman  had  listened  to  her  attentively,  and 
when  Nefert  ceased  speaking  she  said : 

"  But  I  have  still  three  little  brats  of  my  son's  to 
feed,  for  his  wife,  who  was  a  washerwoman,  was 
eaten  by  a  crocodile  while  she  was  at  work.  Poor  folks 
must  work  for  themselves,  and  not  for  others.  If  the 
princess  did  not  pay  us,  I  could  not  think  of  the 
wounds  of  the  soldiers,  who  do  not  belong  to  me.  I 
am  no  longer  strong,  and  four  mouths  to  fill — " 

Nefert  was  shocked — as  she  often  was  in  the  course 
of  her  new  duties — and  begged  Bent-Anat  to  raise  the 
wages  of  the  woman. 

"  Willingly,"  said  the  princess.  "  How  could  I  beat 
down  such  an  assistant.  Come  now  with  me  into  the 
kitchen.  I  am  having  some  fruit  packed  for  my  father 
and  brothers;  there  must  be  a  box  for  Mena  too." 

Nefert  followed  her  royal  friend,  found  them  packing 
in  one  case  the  golden  dates  of  the  oasis  of  Amon,**  and 
in  another  the  dark  dates  of  Nubia,  the  king's  favorite  sort. 

"  Let  me  pack  them !"  cried  Nefert ;  she  made  the  ser- 
vants empty  the  box  again,  and  re-arranged  the  various- 
colored  dates  in  graceful  patterns,  with  other  fruits 
preserved  in  sugar. 

*  The  old  belief  that  the  Nile  rises  from  a  divine  tear  falling  into  the  stream 
is  still  cherished  among  the  Arabs.  Even  at  the  present  time  the  night  of  the 
nth  liauneh,  when  the  Nile  slowly  begins  to  rise,  is  called  the  "  Night  of  the 
Drop." 

*•*  Now  called  the  oasis  of  Siwah.  Its  date  palms  arc  still  famous  for  their 
fruit. 

30 


122  UARDA. 

Bent-Anat  looked  on,  and  when  she  had  finished 
she  took  her  hand.  "  Whatever  your  fingers  have 
touched,"  she  exclaimed,  "  takes  some  pretty  aspect. 
Give  me  that  scrap  of  papyrus;  I  shall  put  it  in  the 
case,  and  write  upon  it — 

a  '  These  were  packed  for  king  Rameses  by  his 
daughter's  clever  helpmate,  the  Avife  of  Mena.'  " 

After  the  mid-day  rest  the  princess  was  called  away, 
and  Nefert  remained  for  some  hours  alone  with  the 
work-women. 

When  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  busy  crowd  were 
about  to  leave,  Nefert  detained  them,  and  said :  "  The 
Sun-bark  is  sinking  behind  the  western  hills;  come,  let 
us  pray  together  for  the  king  and  for  those  we  love  in 
the  field.  Each  of  you  think  of  her  own  :  you  children 
of  your  fathers,  you  women  of  your  sons,  and  we  wives 
of  our  distant  husbands,  and  let  us  entreat  Amon  that 
they  may  return  to  us  as  certainly  as  the  sun,  which 
now  leaves  us,  will  rise  again  to-morrow  morning." 

Nefert  knelt  down,  and  with  her  the  women  and  the 
children. 

When  they  rose,  a  little  girl  went  up  to  Nefert,  and 
said,  pulling  her  dress:  "Thou  madest  us  kneel  here 
yesterday,  and  already  my  mother  is  better,  because  I 
prayed  for  her." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  Nefert,  stroking  the  child's  black 
hair. 

She  found  Bent-Anat  on  the  terrace  meditatively 
gazing  across  to  the  Necropolis,  which  was  fading  into 
darkness  before  her  eyes.  She  started  when  she  heard 
the  light  footsteps  of  her  friend. 

"  I  am  disturbing  thee,"  said  Nefert,  about  to 
retire. 


UATCT1A.  12^ 

"No,  stay,"  said  Bent-Anat.  "I  thank  the  Gods 
that  I  have  you,  for  my  heart  is  sad — pitifully  sad." 

"I  know  where  your  thoughts  were,"  said  Nefert  softly. 

"Well?"  asked  the  princess. 

"With  Pentaur." 

"  I  think  of  him — always  of  him,"  replied  the  prin- 
cess, "and  nothing  else  occupies  my  heart.  I  am  no 
longer  myself.  What  I  think  I  ought  not  to  think, 
what  I  feel  I  ought  not  to  feel,  and  yet,  I  cannot  com- 
mand it,  and  I  think  my  heart  would  bleed  to  death  if 
I  tried  to  cut  out  those  thoughts  and  feelings.  I  have 
behaved  strangely,  nay  unbecomingly,  and  now  that 
which  is  hard  to  endure  is  hanging  over  me,  something 
strange — which  will  perhaps  drive  you  from  me  back 
to  your  mother." 

"  I  will  share  everything  with  you,"  cried  Nefert. 
"What  is  going  to  happen?  Are  you  then  no  longer 
the  daughter  of  Rameses  ?" 

"  I  showed  myself  to  the  people  as  a  woman  of  the 
people,"  answered  Bent-Anat,  "and  I  must  take  the 
consequences.  Bek  en  Chunsu,  the  high-priest  of 
Amon,  has  been  with  me,  and  I  have  had  a  long  con- 
versation with  him.  The  worthy  man  is  good  to  me, 
I  know,  and  my  father  ordered  me  to  follow  his  advice 
before  any  one's.  He  showed  me  that  I  have  erred 
deeply.  In  a  state  of  uncleanness  I  went  into  one  of 
the  temples  of  the  Necropolis,  and  after  I  had  once 
been  into  the  paraschites'  house  and  incurred  Ameni's 
displeasure,  I  did  it  a  second  time.  They  know  over 
there  all  that  took  place  at  the  festival.  Now  I  must 
undergo  purification,  either  with  great  solemnity  at  the 
hands  of  Ameni  himself,  before  all  the  priests  and 
nobles  in  the  House  of  Seti,  or  by  performing  a  pilgrim- 


124  UARDA. 

age  to  the  Emerald -Hath  or,*  under  whose  influence  the 
precious  stones  are  hewn  from  the  rocks,  metals  dug  out, 
and  purified  by  fire.  The  Goddess  shall  purge  me  from 
my  unclean  ness  as  metal  is  purged  from  the  dross.  At 
a  day's  journey  and  more  from  the  mines,  an  abundant 
stream**  flows  from  the  holy  mountain — Sinai,***  as  it 
is  called  by  the  Mentut — and  near  it  stands  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Goddess,  in  which  priests  grant  purification. 
The  journey  is  a  long  one,  through  the  desert,  and  over 
the  sea;  But  Bek  en  Chunsu  advises  me  to  venture  it. 
Ameni,  he  says,  is  not  amiably  disposed  towards  me, 
because  I  infringed  the  ordinance  which  he  values  above 
all  others.  I  must  submit  to  double  severity,  he  says, 
because  the  people  look  first  to  those  of  the  highest 
rank;  and  if  I  went  unpunished  for  contempt  of  the 
sacred  institutions  there  might  be  imitators  among  the 
crowd.  He  speaks  in  the  name  of  the  Gods,  and  they 
measure  hearts  with  an  equal  measure.  The  ell-measure 
is  the  symbol  of  the  Goddess  of  Truth. ft  I  feel  that  it  is 
all  not  unjust;  and  yet  I  find  it  hard  to  submit  to  the 
priest's  decree,  for  I  am  the  daughter  of  Rameses !" 

*  "  Hathor  of  the  Maf  kat"  was  especially  revered  in  the  peninsula  of 
Sinai.  According  to  Lepsius1  searching  investigation  as  to  the  metals  of  the  an- 
cient Egyptians,  it  is  proved  that  Maf  kat  is  neither  copper  nor  turquoise,  but  a 
green  stone.  When  the  Maf  kat  is  termed  "true"  or  "genuine,"  emerald  is 
meant  ;  in  other  cases  Malachite,  Chrysoprase,  and  green  glass,  which  are  fre- 
quently found  in  the  tombs.  Ornaments  of  malachite  are  rare.  We  may  here 
mention  an  exquisite  figure  of  the  God  Ptah  made  of  this  stone  which  is  pre- 
served in  the  Japanese  palace  at  Dresden.  Monuments  which  remain  at  both 
the  mining  establishments  of  Sinai,  Wadi  Maghara,  and  Sarbut  el  Chadem,  indi- 
cate that  Hathor  was  worshipped  there  in  preference  to  all  other  divinities. 

**  In  the  modern  oasis  of  Kciran 

***  I  believe  the  gigantic  peak  now  called  Serbal,  not  the  Sinai  of  the  monks, 
is  the  Sinai  mentioned  in  the  Hihlc,  and  have  given  my  reasons  for  this  opinion  in 
detail  in  "  Durch  Gosen  zum  Sinai,  aus  dem  Wanderbuche  und  der  Bibliothek" 

t  The  mountain  tribes  of  the  Sinai  peninsula. 

ft  The  name  of  the  Goddess  of  truth,  Ma,  was  written  with  the  hierogliphic 
which  represented  the  ell-measure.  Several  specimens  of  the  old  sacred  ell-mea- 
sure have  been  preserved.  Lepsius  has  fully  treated  the  subject.  Die  altegyp- 
tische  ''llle  und  ihre  Kintheilung.  Aus  den  Abhandlungen  der  k.  Akademie  der 
Wibsenschaften.  lierlin,  1865,  page  33. 


UARDA.  125 

"  Aye,  indeed !"  exclaimed  Nefert,  "  and  he  is  him- 
self a  God !" 

"But  he  taught  me  to  respect  the  laws!"  inter- 
rupted the  princess.  "  I  discussed  another  thing  with 
Bek  en  Chunsu.  You  know  I  rejected  the  suit  of  the 
Regent.  He  must  secretly  be  much  vexed  with  me. 
That  indeed  would  not  alarm  me,  but  he  is  the  guar- 
dian and  protector  appointed  over  me  by  my  father, 
and  yet  can  I  turn  to  him  in  confidence  for  counsel, 
and  help  ?  No !  I  am  still  a  woman,  and  Rameses' 
daughter !  Sooner  will  I  travel  through  a  thousand 
deserts  than  humiliate  my  father  through  his  child. 
By  to-morrow  I  shall  have  decided ;  but,  indeed,  I  have 
already  decided  to  make  the  journey,  hard  as  it  is  to 
leave  much  that  is  here.  Do  not  fear,  dear !  but  you 
are  too  tender  for  such  a  journey,  and  to  such  a  dis- 
tance;  I  might — " 

"  No,  no,"  cried  Nefert.  "  I  am  going,  too,  if  you 
were  going  to  the  four  pillars  of  heaven,*  at  the  limits 
of  the  earth.  You  have  given  me  a  new  life,  and  the 
little  sprout  that  is  green  within  me  would  wither 
again  if  I  had  to  return  to  my  mother.  Only  she  or  I 
can  be  in  our  house,  and  I  will  re-enter  it  only  with 
Mena." 

"  It  is  settled — I  must  go,"  said  the  princess.  "Oh! 
if  only  my  father  were  not  so  far  off,  and  that  I  could 
consult  him !" 

"  Yes  !  the  war,  and  always  the  war  !"  sighed  Nefert. 
"  Why  do  not  men  rest  content  with  what  they  have, 

*  The  pillars  of  heaven  are  alluded  to  in  various  circumstances.  On  the 
beautiful  Stele  of  Victory  of  Thotmes  III.  at  ISulaq  it  is  written,  "  I,  Amon  have 
spread  the  fear  of  thee  to  the  four  pillars  of  heaven."  They  were  supposed 
to  stand  at  the  uttermost  points  of  the  north,  south,  east  and  west,  and  the 
phrase  is  often  used  for  the  four  quarters  of  the  heavens. 


126  UARDA. 

and  prefer  the  quiet  peace,  which  makes  life  lovely, 
to  idle  fame  ?" 

"  Would  they  be  men  ?  should  we  love  them  ?"  cried 
Bent-Anat  eagerly.  "  Is  not  the  mind  of  the  Gods,  too, 
bent  on  war  ?  Did  you  ever  see  a  more  sublime^sight 
than  Pentaur,  on  that  evening  when  he  brandished  the 
stake  he  had  pulled  up,  and  exposed  his  life  to  protect 
an  innocent  girl  who  was  in  danger  ?" 

"  I  dared  not  once  look  down  into  the  court,"  said 
Nefert.  "  I  was  in  such  an  agony  of  mind.  But  his 
loud  cry  still  rings  in  my  ears." 

"  So  rings  the  war  cry  of  heroes  before  whom  the 
enemy  quails  !"  exclaimed  Bent-Anat. 

"Aye,  truly  so  rings  the  war  cry!"  said  prince  Ra- 
meri,  who  had  entered  his  sister's  half-dark  room  un- 
perceived  by  the  two  women. 

The  princess  turned  to  the  boy.  "  How  you  fright- 
ened me !"  she  said. 

"You!"  said  Rameri  astonished. 

"  Yes,  me.  I  used  to  have  a  stout  heart,  but  since 
that  evening  I  frequently  tremble,  and  an  agony  of 
terror  comes  over  me,  I  do  not  know  why.  I  believe 
some  demon  commands  me." 

"You  command,  wherever  you  go;  and  no  one 
commands  you,"  cried  Rameri.  "The  excitement  and 
tumult  in  the  valley,  and  on  the  quay,  still  agitate  you. 
I  grind  my  teeth  myself  when  I  remember  how  they 
turned  me  out  of  the  school,  and  how  Paaker  set  the 
dog  at  us.  I  have  gone  through  a  great  deal  to- 
day too." 

"  Where  were  you  so  long  ?"  asked  Bent-Anat.  "  My 
uncle  Ani  commanded  that  you  should  not  leave  the 
palace." 


UARDA.  127 

"I  shall  be  eighteen  years  old  next  month,"  said 
the  prince,  "and  need  no  tutor." 

"  But  your  father — "  said  Bent-Anat. 

"My  father — interrupted  the  boy,  "he  little  knows 
the  Regent.  But  I  shall  write  to  him  what  I  have  to- 
day heard  said  by  different  people.  They  were  to 
have  sworn  allegiance  to  Ani  at  that  very  feast  in  the 
valley,  and  it  is  quite  openly  said  that  Ani  is  aiming  at 
the  throne,  and  intends  to  depose  the  king.  You  are 
right,  it  is  madness — but  there  must  be  something 
behind  it  all." 

Nefert  turned  pale,  and  Bent-Anat  asked  for  particu- 
lars. The  prince  repeated  all  he  had  gathered,  and 
added  laughing:  "Ani  depose  my  father!  It  is  as  if  I 
tried  to  snatch  the  star  of  Isis  from  the  sky  to  light  the 
lamps — which  are  much  wanted  here." 

"  It  is  more  comfortable  in  the  dark,"  said  Nefert. 

"No,  let  us  have  lights,"  said  Bent-Anat.  "It  is 
better  to  talk  when  we  can  see  each  other  face  to  face. 
I  have  no  belief  in  the  foolish  talk  of  the  people;  but 
you  are  right — we  must  bring  it  to  my  father's  knowl- 
edge." 

"  I  heard  the  wildest  gossip  in  the  City  of  the 
Dead,"  said  Rameri. 

"You  ventured  over  there?     How  very  wrong!" 

"  I  disguised  myself  a  little,  and  I  have  good  news 
for  you.  Pretty  Uarda  is  much  better.  She  received 
your  present,  and  they  have  a  house  of  their  own 
again.  Close  to  the  one  that  was  burnt  down,  there 
was  a  tumbled-down  hovel,  which  her  father  soon  put 
together  again ;  he  is  a  bearded  soldier,  who  is  as 
much  like  her  as  a  hedgehog  is  like  a  white  dove.  I 
offered  her  to  work  in  the  palace  for  you  with  the 


128  UARDA. 

other  girls,  for  good  wages,  but  she  would  not;  for  she 
has  to  wait  on  her  sick  grandmother,  and  she  is  proud, 
and  will  not  serve  any  one." 

"It  seems  you  were  a  long  time  with  the  para- 
schites'  people,"  said  Bent-Anat  reprovingly.  "  I  should 
have  thought  that  what  has  happened  to  me  might 
have  served  you  as  a  warning." 

"  I  will  not  be  better  than  you !"  cried  the  boy. 
"  Besides,  the  paraschites  is  dead,  and  Uarda's  father 
is  a  respectable  soldier,  who  can  defile  no  one.  I  kept 
a  long  way  from  the  old  woman.  To-morrow  I  am 
going  again.  I  promised  her." 

"  Promised  who  ?"  asked  his  sister. 

"  Who  but  Uarda  ?  She  loves  flowers,  and  since 
the  rose  which  you  gave  her  she  has  not  seen  one.  1 
have  ordered  the  gardener  to  cut  me  a  basket  full  of 
roses  to-morrow  morning,  and  shall  take  them  to  her 
myself." 

"  That  you  will  not !"  cried  Bent-Anat.  "  You  are 
still  but  half  a  child — and,  for  the  girl's  sake  too,  you 
must  give  it  up." 

"  We  only  gossip  together,"  said  the  prince  color- 
ing, "  and  no  one  shall  recognize  me.  But  certainly, 
if  you  mean  that,  I  will  leave  the  basket  of  roses,  and 
go  to  her  alone.  No — sister,  I  will  not  be  forbidden 
this;  she  is  so  charming,  so  white,  so  gentle,  and  her 
voice  is  so  soft  and  sweet !  And  she  has  little  feet, 
as  small  as — what  shall  I  say  ? — as  small  and  graceful 
as  Nefert's  hand.  We  talked  most  about  Pentaur.  She 
knows  his  father,  who  is  a  gardener,  and  knows  a  great 
deal  about  him.  Only  think  !  she  says  the  poet  cannot 
be  the  son  of  his  parents,  but  a  good  spirit  that  has 
come  down  on  earth — perhaps  a  God.  At  first  she 


UARDA.  129 

was  very  timid,  but  when  I  spoke  of  Pentaur  she  grew 
eager;  her  reverence  for  him  is  almost  idolatry — and 
that  vexed  me." 

"  You  would  rather  she  should  reverence  you  so," 
said  Nefert  smiling. 

"  Not  at  all,"  cried  Rameri.  "  But  I  helped  to  save 
her,  and  I  am  so  happy  when  I  am  sitting  with  her, 
that  to-morrow,  I  am  resolved,  I  will  put  a  flower 
in  her  hair.  It  is  red  certainly,  but  as  thick  as  yours, 
Bent-Anat,  and  it  must  be  delightful  to  unfasten  it  and 
stroke  it." 

The  ladies  exchanged  a  glance  of  intelligence,  and 
the  princess  said  decidedly  : 

"  You  will  not  go  to  the  City  of  the  Dead  to-morrow, 
my  little  son  !" 

"  That  we  will  see,  my  little  mother !"  He  answered 
laughing;  then  he  turned  grave. 

"  I  saw  my  school-friend  Anana  too,"  he  said. 
"  Injustice  reigns  in  the  House  of  Seti!  Pentaur  is  in 
prison,  and  yesterday  evening  they  sat  in  judgment 
upon  him.  My  uncle  was  present,  and  would  have 
pounced  upon  the  poet,  but  Ameni  took  him  under 
his  protection.  What  was  finally  decided,  the  pupils 
could  not  learn,  but  it  must  have  been  something  bad, 
for  the  son  of  the  Treasurer  heard  Ameni  saying,  after 
the  sitting,  to  old  Gagabu :  '  Punishment  he  deserves, 
but  I  will  not  let  him  be  overwhelmed ;'  and  he  can 
have  meant  no  one  but  Pentaur.  To-morrow  I  will  go 
over,  and  learn  more;  something  frightful,  I  am  afraid 
— several  years  of  imprisonment  is  the  least  that  will 
happen  to  him." 

Bent-Anat  had  turned  very  pale. 

"  And   whatever    they  do  to  him,"  she  cried,  "  he 


130  UARDA. 

will  suffer  for  my  sake!  Oh,  ye  omnipotent  Gods, help 
him — help  me,  be  merciful  to  us  both !" 

She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  left  the 
room.  Rameri  asked  Nefert : 

"  What  can  have  come  to  my  sister  ?  she  seems 
quite  strange  to  me ;  and  you  too  are  not  the  same  as 
you  used  to  be." 

"We  both  have  to  find  our  way  in  new  circum- 
stances." 

"  What  are  they  ?" 

"  That  I  cannot  explain  to  you  ! — but  it  appears  to 
me  that  you  soon  may  experience  something  of  the 
same  kind.  Rameri,  do  not  go  again  to  the  para- 
schites." 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 

EARLY  on  the  following  day  the  dwarf  Nemu  went 
past  the  restored  hut  of  Uarda's  father — in  which  he 
had  formerly  lived  with  his  wife — with  a  man  in  a 
long  coarse  robe,  the  steward  of  some  noble  family. 
They  went  towards  old  Hekt's  cave-dwelling. 

"  I  would  beg  thee  to  wait  down  here  a  moment, 
noble  lord,"  said  the  dwarf,  "  while  I  announce  thee 
to  my  mother." 

"  That  sounds  very  grand,"  said  the  other.  "  How- 
ever, so  be  it.  But  stay !  The  old  woman  is  not  to 
call  me  by  my  name  or  by  my  title.  She  is  to  call 
me  '  steward ' — that  no  one  may  know.  But,  indeed, 
no  one  would  recognize  me  in  this  dress." 

Nemu  hastened  to  the  cave,  but  before  he  reached 
his  mother  she  called  out :  "  Do  not  keep  my  lord 
waiting — I  know  him  well." 


UARDA.  131 

Nemu  laid  his  finger  to  his  lips. 

"  You  are  to  call  him  steward,"  said  he. 

"  Good,"  muttered  the  old  woman.  "  The  ostrich 
puts  his  head  under  his  feathers  when  he  does  not 
want  to  be  seen." 

"  Was  the  young  prince  long  with  Uarda  yester- 
day ?" 

"  No,  you  fool,"  laughed  the  witch,  "  the  children 
play  together.  Rameri  is  a  kid  without  horns,  but  who 
fancies  he  knows  where  they  ought  to  grow.  Pentaur 
is  a  more  dangerous  rival  with  the  red-headed  girl. 
Make  haste,  now ;  these  stewards  must  not  be  kept 
waiting !" 

The  old  woman  gave  the  dwarf  a  push,  and  he 
hurried  back  to  Ani,  while  she  carried  the  child,  tied 
to  his  board,  into  the  cave,  and  threw  the  sack  over 
him. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  Regent  stood  before  her. 

She  bowed  before  him  with  a  demeanor  that  was 
more  like  the  singer  Beki  than  the  sorceress  Hekt,  and 
begged  him  to  take  the  only  seat  she  possessed. 

When,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  he  declined  to  sit 
down,  she  said : 

"  Yes — yes — be  seated !  then  thou  wilt  not  be  seen 
from  the  valley,  but  be  screened  by  the  rocks  close  by. 
Why  hast  thou  chosen  this  hour  for  thy  visit  ?" 

"  Because  the  matter  presses  of  which  I  wish  to 
speak,"  answered  Ani ;  "  and  in  the  evening  I  might 
easily  be  challenged  by  the  watch.  My  disguise  is 
good.  Under  this  robe  I  wear  my  usual  dress.  From 
this  I  shall  go  to  the  tomb  of  my  father,  where  I  shall 
take  oft"  this  coarse  thing,  and  these  other  disfigure- 
ments, and  shall  wait  for  my  chariot,  which  is  already 


132  UARDA. 

ordered.  I  shall  tell  people  I  had  made  a  vow  to 
visit  the  grave  humbly,  and  on  foot,  which  I  have  now 
fulfilled." 

"  Well  planned,"  muttered  the  old  woman. 

Ani  pointed  to  the  dwarf,  and  said  politely :  "  Your 
pupil." 

Since  her  narrative  the  sorceress  was  no  longer  a 
mere  witch  in  his  eyes.  The  old  woman  understood 
this,  and  saluted  him  with  a  curtsey  of  such  courtly 
formality,  that  a  tame  raven  at  her  feet  opened  his 
black  beak  wide,  and  uttered  a  loud  scream.  She  threw 
a  bit  of  cheese  within  the  cave,  and  the  bird  hopped 
after  it,  flapping  his  clipped  wings,  and  was  silent. 

"  I  have  to  speak  to  you  about  Pentaur,"  said  Ani. 

The  old  woman's  eyes  flashed,  and  she  eagerly 
asked,  "  What  of  him  ?" 

"  I  have  reasons,"  answered  the  Regent,  "  for  re- 
garding him  as  dangerous  to  me.  He  stands  in  my 
way.  He  has  committed  many  crimes,  even  murder; 
but  he  is  in  favor  at  the  House  of  Seti,  and  they 
would  willingly  let  him  go  unpunished.  They  have 
the  right  of  sitting  in  judgment  on  each  other,  and  I 
cannot  interfere  with  their  decisions ;  the  day  before 
yesterday  they  pronounced  their  sentence.  They  would 
send  him  to  the  quarries  of  Chennu.*  All  my  ob- 

*  Chennu  is  now  Gebel  Silsileh:  the  quarries  there  nre  of  enormous  extent, 
and  almost  all  the  sandstone  used  for  building  the  temples  of  Upper  Egypt 
was  brought  from  thence.  The  Nile  is  narrower  there  than  above,  and  large 
stelEe  were  erected  there  by  Rameses  II.  and  his  successor  Mernephtah, 
on  which  were  inscribed  beautiful  hymns  to  the  Nile,  and  lists  of  the  sacrifices 
to  be  offered  at  the  Nile-festivals.  These  inscriptions  can  be  restored  by  com- 
parison, and  my  friend  Stern  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  doing  this  on  the 
spot  (Zeitschrift  fur  Agyptische  Sprache,  1873,  p.  129.).  Rameses  the  Great  in- 
stituted two  Nile-festivals,  which  Stern  identifies  with  "  the  night  of  the  drop," 
or  "of  the  tear,"  and  with  "the  cutting  of  the  dykes."  Among  the  Arabs  the 
belief  still  prevails  that  the  rising  of  the  Nile  proceeds  from  a  divine  tear. 
The  night  of  the  tear  is  the  nth  Bauneh  (in  1873  the  i7th  June)  when  the  Nile 


UARDA.  133 

jections  were  disregarded,  and  now Nemu,  go  over 

to  the  grave  of  Amenophis,  and  wait  there  for  me — I 
wish  to  speak  to  your  mother  alone." 

Nemu  bowed,  and  then  went  down  the  slope,  dis- 
appointed, it  is  true,  but  sure  of  learning  later  what 
the  two  had  discussed  together. 

When  the  little  man  had  disappeared,  Ani  asked : 

"  Have  you  still  a  heart  true  to  the  old  royal  house, 
to  which  your  parents  were  so  faithfully  attached  ?" 

The  old  woman  nodded. 

"  Then  you  will  not  refuse  your  help  tOAvards  its 
restoration.  You  understand  how  necessary  the  priest- 
hood is  to  me,  and  I  have  sworn  not  to  make  any 
attempt  on  Pentaur's  life ;  but,  I  repeat  it,  he  stands 
in  my  way.  I  have  my  spies  in  the  House  of  Seti,  and 
I  know  through  them  what  the  sending  of  the  poet  to 
Chennu  really  means.  For  a  time  they  will  let  him 
hew  sandstone,  and  that  will  only  improve  his  health, 
for  he  is  as  sturdy  as  a  tree.  In  Chennu,  as  you 
know,  besides  the  quarries  there  is  the  great  college 
of  priests,  which  is  in  close  alliance  with  the  temple  of 
Seti.  When  the  flood  begins  to  rise,  and  they  hold 
the  great  Nile-festival  in  Chennu,  the  priests  there  have 
the  right  of  taking  three  of  the  criminals  who  are 
working  in  the  quarries  into  their  house  as  servants. 
Naturally  they  will,  next  year,  choose  Pentaur,  set  him 
at  liberty — and  I  shall  be  laughed  at." 

"  Well  considered  !"  said  Hekt. 

"  I  have  taken  counsel  with  myself,  with  Katuti, 
and  even  with  Nemu,"  continued  Ani,  "  but  all  that 

is  at  its  lowest,  and  the  second  festival  is  fixed  according  to  the  level  to 
which  the  waters  have  risen.  The  two  Nile-feasts  were  solemnized  at  an 
interval  of  two  months,  as  also  are  their  modem  successors. 


134  UARDA. 

they  have  suggested,  though  certainly  practicable,  was 
unadvisable,  and  at  any  rate  must  have  led  to  con- 
jectures which  I  must  now  avoid.  What  is  your 
opinion  ?" 

"  Assa's  race  must  be  exterminated !"  muttered  the 
old  woman  hoarsely. 

She  gazed  at  the  ground,  reflecting. 

"  Let  the  boat  be  scuttled,"  she  said  at  last,  "  and 
sink  with  the  chained  prisoners  before  it  reaches 
Chennu." 

"  No — no  ;  I  thought  of  that  myself,  and  Nemu  too 
advised  it,"  cried  Ani.  "  That  has  been  done  a  hun- 
dred times,  and  Ameni  will  regard  me  as  a  perjurer, 
for  I  have  sworn  not  to  attempt  Pentaur's  life." 

"  To  be  sure,  thou  hast  sworn  that,  and  men  keep 
their  word — to  each  other.  Wait  a  moment,  how  would 
this  do  ?  Let  the  ship  reach  Chennu  with  the  pris- 
oners, but,  by  a  secret  order  to  the  captain,  pass  the 
quarries  in  the  night,  and  hasten  on  as  fast  as  possible 
as  far  as  Ethiopia.  From  Suan,*  the  prisoners  may 
be  conducted  through  the  desert  to  the  gold  work- 
ings.** Four  weeks  or  even  eight  may  pass  before  it 
is  known  here  what  has  happened.  If  Ameni  attacks 
thee  about  it,  thou  wilt  be  very  angry  at  this  oversight, 
and  canst  swear  by  all  the  Gods  of  the  heavens  and 
of  the  abyss,  that  thou  hast  not  attempted  Pentaur's 
life.  More  weeks  will  pass  in  enquiries.  Meanwhile 
do  thy  best,  and  Paaker  do  his,  and  thou  art  king. 
An  oath  is  easily  broken  by  a  sceptre,  and  if  thou  wilt 

*  The  modern  Assuan  nt  the  first  cataract. 

**  The  frightful  fate  of  Egyptian  miners  is  vividly  presented  in  a  famous 
passage  of  Agatharchides  of  Knidos,  in  Diodorus  in,  12,  13  and  14.  The 
Ethiopian  gold-mines  were  re-discovered  in  1832-3  by  Bonomi  and  Linaiit 
Pasha,  but  they  are  now  completely  exhausted. 


UARDA.  135 

positively  keep  thy  word  leave  Pentaur  at  the  gold 
mines.  None  have  yet  returned  from  thence.  My 
father's  and  my  brother's  bones  have  bleached  there." 

"  But  Ameni  will  never  believe  in  the  mistake," 
cried  Ani,  anxiously  interrupting  the  witch. 

"  Then  admit  that  thou  gavest  the  order,"  exclaimed 
Hekt.  "  Explain  that  thou  hadst  learned  what  they 
proposed  doing  with  Pentaur  at  Chennu,  and  that  thy 
word  indeed  was  kept,  but  that  a  criminal  could  not 
be  left  unpunished.  They  will  make  further  enquiries, 
and  if  Assa's  grandson  is  found  still  living  thou  wilt 
be  justified.  Follow  my  advice,  if  thou  wilt  prove  thy- 
self a  good  steward  of  thy  house,  and  master  of  its  in- 
heritance." 

"  It  will  not  do,"  said  the  Regent.  "  I  need 
Ameni's  support — not  for  to-day  and  to-morrow  only. 
I  will  not  become  his  blind  tool ;  but  he  must  believe 
that  I  am." 

The  old  woman  shrugged  her  shoulders,  rose,  went 
into  her  cave,  and  brought  out  a  phial. 

"  Take  this,"  she  said.  "  Four  drops  of  it  in  his 
wine  infallibly  destroys  the  drinker's  senses ;  try  the 
drink  on  a  slave,  and  thou  wilt  see  how  effectual 
it  is." 

"  What  shall  I  do  with  it  ?"  asked  Ani. 

"  Justify  thyself  to  Ameni,"  said  the  witch  laughing. 
"  Order  the  ship's  captain  to  come  to  thee  as  soon  as 
he  returns  ;  entertain  him  with  wine — and  when  Ameni 
sees  the  distracted  wretch,  why  should  he  not  believe 
that  in  a  fit  of  craziness  he  sailed  past  Chennu  ?" 

"  That  is  clever  !  that  is  splendid  !"  exclaimed  Ani. 
"  What  is  once  remarkable  never  becomes  common. 


136  UARDA. 

You    were  the  greatest  of  singers — you    are   now   the 
wisest  of  women — my  lady  Beki." 

"  I  am  no  longer  Beki,  I  am  Hekt,"  said  the  old 
woman  shortly. 

"  As  you  will !  In  truth,  if  I  had  ever  heard  Beki's 
singing,  I  should  be  bound  to  still  greater  gratitude  to 
her  than  I  now  am  to  Hekt,"  said  Ani  smiling.  "  Still, 
I  cannot  quit  the  wisest  woman  in  Thebes  without  ask- 
ing her  one  serious  question.  Is  it  given  to  you  to 
read  the  future  ?  Have  you  means  at  your  command 
whereby  you  can  see  whether  the  great  stake — you 
know  which  I  mean — shall  be  won  or  lost  ?" 

Hekt  looked  at  the  ground,  and  said  after  reflect- 
ing a  short  time : 

"I  cannot  decide  with  certainty,  but  thy  affair 
stands  well.  Look  at  these  two  hawks  with  the  chain 
on  their  feet.  They  take  their  food  from  no  one  but 
me.  The  one  that  is  moulting,  with  closed,  grey  eye- 
lids, is  Rameses ;  the  smart,  smooth  one,  with  shining 
eyes,  is  thyself.  It  comes  to  this — which  of  you  lives 
the  longest.  So  far,  thou  hast  the  advantage." 

Ani  cast  an  evil  glance  at  the  king's  sick  hawk ; 
but  Hekt  said :  "  Both  must  be  treated  exactly  alike. 
Fate  will  not  be  done  violence  to." 

"  Feed  them  well,"  exclaimed  the  Regent;  he  threw 
a  purse  into  Hekt's  lap,  and  added,  as  he  prepared  to 
leave  her :  "  If  anything  happens  to  either  of  the 
birds  let  me  know  at  once  by  Nemu." 

Ani  went  down  the  hill,  and  walked  towards  the 
neighboring  tomb  of  his  father ;  but  Hekt  laughed  as 
she  looked  after  him,  and  muttered  to  herself: 

"  Now  the  fool  will  take  care  of  me  for  the  sake  of 
his  bird!  That  smiling,  spiritless,  indolent-minded 


UARDA.  137 

man  would  rule  Egypt !  Am  I  then  so  much  wiser 
than  other  folks,  or  do  none  but  fools  come  to  consult 
Hekt  ?  But  Rameses  chose  Ani  to  represent  him  !  per- 
haps because  he  thinks  that  those  who  are  not  particu- 
larly clever  are  not  particularly  dangerous.  If  that 
is  what  he  thought,  he  was  not  wise,  for  no  one  usually 
is  so  self-confident  and  insolent  as  just  such  an  idiot." 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

AN  hour  later,  Ani,  in  rich  attire,  left  his  father's 
tomb,  and  drove  his  brilliant  chariot  past  the  witch's 
cave,  and  the  little  cottage  of  Uarda's  father. 

Nemu  squatted  on  the  step,  the  dwarf's  usual 
place.  The  little  man  looked  down  at  the  lately 
rebuilt  hut,  and  ground  his  teeth,  when,  through  an 
opening  in  the  hedge,  he  saw  the  white  robe  of  a  man, 
who  was  sitting  by  Uarda. 

The  pretty  child's  visitor  was  prince  Rameri,  who 
had  crossed  the  Nile  in  the  early  morning,  dressed  as 
a  young  scribe  of  the  treasury,  to  obtain  news  of  Pen- 
taur — and  to  stick  a  rose  into  Uarda's  hair. 

This  purpose  was,  indeed,  the  more  important  of 
the  two,  for  the  other  must,  in  point  of  time  at  any 
rate,  be  the  second. 

He  found  it  necessary  to  excuse  himself  to  his  own 
conscience  with  a  variety  of  cogent  reasons.  In  the 
first  place  the  rose,  which  lay  carefully  secured  in  a 
fold  of  his  robe,  ran  great  danger  of  fading  if  he  first 
waited  for  his  companions  near  the  temple  of  Seti ; 
next,  a  hasty  return  from  thence  to  Thebes  might 
prove  necessary ;  and  finally,  it  seemed  to  him  not  im- 
31 


138  UARDA. 

possible  that  Bent-Anat  might  send  a  master  of  the 
ceremonies  after  him,  and  if  that  happened  any  delay 
might  frustrate  his  purpose. 

His  heart  beat  loud  and  violently,  not  for  love  of 
the  maiden,  but  because  he  felt  he  was  doing  wrong. 

The  spot  that  he  must  tread  was  unclean,  and  he 
had,  for  the  first  time,  told  a  lie.  He  had  given  himself 
out  to  Uarda  to  be  a  noble  youth  of  Bent-Anat's  train, 
and,  as  one  falsehood  usually  entails  another,  in  an- 
swer to  her  questions  he  had  given  her  false  informa- 
tion as  to  his  parents  and  his  life. 

Had  evil  more  power  over  him  in  this  unclean 
spot  than  in  the  House  of  Seti,  and  at  his  father's  It 
might  very  well  be  so,  for  all  disturbance  in  nature 
and  men  was  the  work  of  Seth,  and  how  wild  was  the 
storm  in  his  breast !  And  yet !  He  wished  nothing  but 
good  to  come  of  it  to  Uarda.  She  was  so  fair  and 
sweet — like  some  child  of  the  Gods  :  and  certainly 
the  white  maiden  must  have  been  stolen  from  some 
one,  and  could  not  possibly  belong  to  the  unclean 
people. 

When  the  prince  entered  the  court  of  the  hut, 
Uarda  was  not  to  be  seen,  but  he  soon  heard  her  voice 
singing  out  through  the  open  door.  She  came  out  into 
the  air,  for  the  dog  barked  furiously  at  Rameri.  When 
she  saw  the  prince,  she  started,  and  said : 

"  You  are  here  already  again,  and  yet  I  warned 
you.  My  grandmother  in  there  is  the  wife  of  a  para- 
schites." 

"  I  am  not  come  to  visit  her,"  retorted  the  prince, 
"but  you  only;  and  you  do  not  belong  to  them,  of 
that  I  am  convinced.  No  roses  grow  in  the  desert." 

"  And  yet  \  am  my  father's  child,"  said  Uarda  de- 


UAKDA.  139 

cidedly,  "  and  my  poor  dead  grandfather's  grandchild. 
Certainly  I  belong  to  them,  and  those  that  do  not 
think  me  good  enough  for  them  may  keep  away." 

"With  these  words  she  turned  to  re-enter  the  house; 
but  Rameri  seized  her  hand,  and  held  her  back,  say- 
ing— 

"  How  cruel  you  are !  I  tried  to  save  you,  and  came 
to  see  you  before  I  thought  that  you  might — and,  in- 
deed, you  are  quite  unlike  the  people  whom  you  call 
your  relations.  You  must  not  misunderstand  me ;  but 
it  would  be  horrible  to  me  to  believe  that  you,  who  are 
so  beautiful,  and  as  white  as  a  lily,  have  any  part  in. 
the  hideous  curse.  You  charm  every  one,  even  my 
mistress,  Bent-Anat,  and  it  seems  to  me  impossible — " 

"  That  I  should  belong  to  the  unclean ! — say  it  out," 
said  Uarda  softly,  and  casting  down  her  eyes. 

Then  she  continued  more  excitedly :  "  But  I  tell 
you,  the  curse  is  unjust,  for  a  better  man  never  lived 
than  my  grandfather  was." 

Tears  sprang  from  her  eyes,  and  Rameri  said :  "  I 
fully  believe  it;  and  it  must  be  very  difficult  to  con- 
tinue good  when  every  one  despises  and  scorns  one; 
I  at  least  can  be  brought  to  no  good  by  blame,  though 
I  can  by  praise.  Certainly  people  are  obliged  to  meet 
me  and  mine  with  respect." 

"And  us  with  contempt !"  exclaimed  Uarda.  "  But 
I  will  tell  you  something.  If  a  man  is  sure  that  he  is 
good,  it  is  all  the  same  to  him  whether  he  be  despised  or 
honored  by  other  people.  Nay — we  may  be  prouder 
than  you ;  for  you  great  folks  must  often  say  to  your- 
selves that  you  are  worth  less  than  men  value  you  at, 
and  we  know  that  we  are  worth  more." 

"  I  have  often  thought  that  of  you,"  exclaimed  Ra- 


I4-O  UARDA. 

men,  "and  there  is  one  who  recognizes  your  worth, 
and  that  is  I.  Even  if  it  were  otherwise,  I  must  always 
— always  think  of  you." 

"  I  have  thought  of  you  too,"  said  Uarda.  "  Just 
now,  when  I  was  sitting  with  my  sick  grandmother,  it 
passed  through  my  mind  how  nice  it  would  be  if  I  had 
a  brother  just  like  you.  Do  you  know  what  I  should 
do  if  you  were  my  brother  ?" 

"Well?"   ': 

"  I  should  buy  you  a  chariot  and  horse,  and  you 
should  go  away  to  the  king's  war." 

"  Are  you  so  rich  ?"  asked  Rameri  smiling. 

"  Oh  yes !"  answered  Uarda.  "  To  be  sure,  I  have 
not  been  rich  for  more  than  an  hour.  Can  you  read  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Only  think,  when  I  was  ill  they  sent  a  doctor  to 
me  from  the  House  of  Seti.  He  was  very  clever,  but  a 
strange  man.  He  often  looked  into  my  eyes  like  a 
drunken  man,  and  he  stammered  when  he  spoke." 

"  Is  his  name  Nebsecht  ?"  asked  the  prince. 

"  Yes,  Nebsecht.  He  planned  strange  things  with 
grandfather,  and  after  Pentaur  and  you  had  saved  us 
in  the  frightful  attack  upon  us  he  interceded  for  us. 
Since  then  he  has  not  come  again,  for  I  was  already 
much  better.  Now  to-day,  about  two  hours  ago,  the  dog 
barked,  and  an  old  man,  a  stranger,  came  up  to  me, 
and  said  he  was  Nebsecht's  brother,  and  had  a  great 
deal  of  money  in  his  charge  for  me.  He  gave  me  a 
ring  too,  and  said  that  he  would  pay  the  money  to 
him,  who  took  the  ring  to  him  from  me.  Then  he 
read  this  letter  to  me." 

Rameri  took  the  letter  and  read. 

"  Nebsecht  to  the  fair  Uarda." 


UARDA.  141 

"  Nebsecht  greets  Uarda,  and  informs  her  that  he 
owed  her  grandfather  in  Osiris,  Pinem — whose  body 
the  kolchytes  are  embalming  like  that  of  a  noble — a 
sum  of  a  thousand  gold  rings.  These  he  has  entrusted 
to  his  brother  Teta  to  hold  ready  for  her  at  any  mo- 
ment. She  may  trust  Teta  entirely,  for  he  is  honest, 
and  ask  him  for  money  whenever  she  needs  it.  It 
would  be  best  that  she  should  ask  Teta  to  take  care  of 
the  money  for  her,  and  to  buy  her  a  house  and  field ; 
then  she  could  remove  into  it,  and  live  in  it  free  from 
care  with  her  grandmother.  She  may  wait  a  year,  and 
then  she  may  choose  a  husband.  Nebsecht  loves 
Uarda  much.  If  at  the  end  of  thirteen  months  he  has 
not  been  to  see  her,  she  had  better  marry  whom  she 
will ;  but  not  before  she  has  shown  the  jewel  left  her 
by  her  mother  to  the  king's  interpreter." 

"  How  strange  !"  exclaimed  Rameri.  "  Who  would 
have  given  the  singular  physician,  who  always  wore 
such  dirty  clothes,  credit  for  such  generosity  ?  But 
what  is  this  jewel  that  you  have  ?" 

Uarda  opened  her  shirt,  and  showed  the  prince 
the  sparkling  ornament. 

"  Those  are  diamonds — it  is  very  valuable !"  cried 
the  prince ;  "  and  there  in  the  middle  on  the  onyx 
there  are  sharply  engraved  signs.  I  cannot  read  them, 
but  I  will  show  them  to  the  interpreter.  Did  your 
mother  wear  that  ?" 

"  My  father  found  it  on  her  when  she  died,"  said 
Uarda.  "  She  came  to  Egypt  as  a  prisoner  of  war, 
and  was  as  white  as  I  am,  but  dumb,  so  she  could 
not  tell  us  the  name  of  her  home." 

"  She  belonged  to  some  great  house  among  the 
foreigners,  and  the  children  inherit  from  the  mother," 


142  UARDA. 

cried  the  prince  joyfully.  "You  are  a  princess,  Uarda! 
Oh !  how  glad  I  am,  and  how  much  I  love  you !" 

The  girl  smiled  and  said,  "  Now  you  will  not  be 
afraid  to  touch  the  daughter  of  the  unclean." 

"  You  are  cruel,"  replied  the  prince.  "  Shall  I  tell 
you  what  I  determined  on  yesterday, — what  would  not 
let  me  sleep  last  night, — and  for  what  I  came  here  to- 
day ?" 

"  Well  ?" 

Rameri  took  a  most  beautiful  white  rose  out  of  his 
robe  and  said — 

"  It  is  very  childish,  but  I  thought  how  it  would  be 
if  I  might  put  this  flower  with  my  own  hands  into  your 
shining  hair.  May  I  ?" 

"  It  is  a  splendid  rose !  I  never  saw  such  a  fine 
one." 

"  It  is  for  my  haughty  princess.  Do  pray  let  me 
dress  your  hair!  It  is  like  silk  from  Tyre,  like  a 
swan's  breast,  like  golden  star-beams — there,  it  is  fixed 
safely !  Nay,  leave  it  so.  If  the  seven  Hathors  could 
see  you,  they  would  be  jealous,  for  you  are  fairer  than 
all  of  them." 

"  How  you  flatter !"  said  Uarda,  shyly  blushing,  and 
looking  into  his  sparkling  eyes. 

"  Uarda,"  said  the  prince,  pressing  her  hand  to  his 
heart.  "  I  have  now  but  one  wish.  Feel  how  my 
heart  hammers  and  beats.  I  believe  it  will  never  rest 
again  till  you — yes,  Uarda — till  you  let  me  give  you 
one,  only  one,  kiss." 

The  girl  drew  back. 

"  Now,"  she  said  seriously.  "  Now  I  see  what  you 
want.  Old  Hekt  knows  men,  and  she  warned  me." 

"  Who  is  Hekt,  and  what  can  she  know  of  me  ?" 


UARDA.  143 

"  She  told  me  that  the  time  would  come  when  a 
man  would  try  to  make  friends  with  me.  He  would 
look  into  my  eyes,  and  if  mine  met  his,  then  he  would 
ask  to  kiss  me.  But  I  must  refuse  him,  because  if  I 
liked  him  to  kiss  me  he  would  seize  my  soul,  and  take 
it  from  me,  and  I  must  wander,  like  the  restless  ghosts, 
which  the  abyss  rejects,  and  the  storm  whirls  before  it, 
and  the  sea  will  not  cover,  and  the  sky  will  not  receive, 
soulless  to  the  end  of  my  days.  Go  away — for  I  can- 
not refuse  you  the  kiss,  and  yet  I  would  not  wander 
restless,  and  without  a  soul !" 

"  Is  the  old  woman  who  told  you  that  a  good  wom- 
an ?"  asked  Rameri. 

Uarda  shook  her  head. 

"  She  cannot  be  good,"  cried  the  prince,  "  For 
she  has  spoken  a  falsehood.  I  will  not  seize  your  soul ; 
I  will  give  you  mine  to  be  yours,  and  you  shall  give  me 
yours  to  be  mine,  and  so  we  shall  neither  of  us  be 
poorer — but  both  richer !" 

"  I  should  like  to  believe  it,"  said  Uarda  thought- 
fully, "  and  1  have  thought  the  same  kind  of  thing. 
When  I  was  strong,  I  often  had  to  go  late  in  the 
evening  to  fetch  water  from  the  landing-place  where 
the  great  water-wheel  stands.  Thousands  of  drops 
fall  from  the  earthenware  pails  as  it  turns,  and  in  each 
you  can  see  the  reflection  of  a  moon,  yet  there  is  only 
one  in  the  sky.  Then  I  thought  to  myself,  so  it  must 
be  with  the  love  in  our  hearts.  We  have  but  one 
heart,  and  yet  we  pour  it  out  into  other  hearts  without 
its  losing  in  strength  or  in  warmth.  I  thought  of  my 
grandmother,  of  my  father,  of  little  Scherau,  of  the 
Gods,  and  of  Pentaur.  Now  I  should  like  to  give 
you  a  part  of  it  too." 


144  UARDA. 

"  Only  a  part  ?"  asked  Rameri. 

"  Well,  the  whole  will  be  reflected  in  you,  you 
know,"  said  Uarda,  "  as  the  whole  moon  is  reflected  in 
each  drop." 

"  It  shall !"  cried  the  prince,  clasping  the  trembling 
girl  in  his  arms,  and  the  two  young  souls  were  united 
in  their  first  kiss. 

."  Now  do  go  !"  Uarda  entreated. 

"  Let  me  stay  a  little  while,"  said  Rameri.  "  Sit 
down  here  by  me  on  the  bench  in  front  of  the  house. 
The  hedge  shelters  us,  and  besides  this  valley  is  now 
deserted,  and  there  are  no  passers  by." 

"  We  are  doing  what  is  not  right,"  said  Uarda. 
"  If  it  were  right  we  should  not  want  to  hide  our- 
selves." 

"  Do  you  call  that  wrong  which  the  priests  perform 
in  the  Holy  of  Holies  ?"  asked  the  prince.  "  And  yet 
it  is  concealed  from  all  eyes." 

"  How  you  can  argue !"  laughed  Uarda.  "  That 
shows  you  can  write,  and  are  one  of  his  disciples." 

"  His,  his  !"  exclaimed  Rameri.  "  You  mean  Pen- 
taur.  He  was  always  the  dearest  to  me  of  all  my 
teachers,  but  it  vexes  me  when  you  speak  of  him  as  if 
he  were  more  to  you  than  I  and  every  one  else.  The 
poet,  you  said,  was  one  of  the  drops  in  which  the 
moon  of  your  soul  finds  a  reflection — and  I  will  not 
divide  it  with  many." 

11  How  you  are  talking !"  said  Uarda.  "  Do  you  not 
honor  your  father,  and  the  Gods  ?  I  love  no  one  else 
as  I  do  you — and  what  I  felt  when  you  kissed  me — 
that  was  not  like  moon-light,  but  like  this  hot  mid-day 
sun.  When  I  thought  of  you  I  had  no  peace.  I  will 
confess  to  you  now,  that  twenty  times  I  looked  out  of 


UARDA.  145 

the  door,  and  asked  whether  my  preserver — the  kind, 
curly-headed  boy — would  really  come  again,  or  whether 
he  despised  a  poor  girl  like  me  ?  You  came,  and  I 
am  so  happy,  and  I  could  enjoy  myself  with  you  to 
my  heart's  content.  Be  kind  again — or  I  will  pull 
your  hair !" 

"  You !"  cried  Rameri.  "  You  cannot  hurt  with  your 
little  hands,  though  you  can  with  your  tongue.  Pen- 
taur  is  much  wiser  and  better  than  I,  you  owe  much  to 
him,  and  nevertheless  I — " 

"  Let  that  rest,"  interrupted  the  girl,  growing  grave. 
"  He  is  not  a  man  like  other  men.  If  he  asked  to  kiss 
me,  I  should  crumble  into  dust,  as  ashes  dried  in  the 
sun  crumble  if  you  touch  them  with  a  finger,  and  I 
should  be  as  much  afraid  of  his  lips  as  of  a  lion's. 
Though  you  may  laugh  at  it,  I  shall  always  believe  that 
he  is  one  of  the  Immortals.  His  own  father  told  me 
that  a  great  wonder  was  shown  to  him  the  very  day 
after  his  birth.  Old  Hekt  has  often  sent  me  to  the 
gardener  with  a  message  to  enquire  after  his  son,  and 
though  the  man  is  rough  he  is  kind.  At  first  he  was  not 
friendly,  but  when  he  saw  how  much  I  liked  his  flowers 
he  grew  fond  of  me,  and  set  me  to  work  to  tie  wreaths 
and  bunches,  and  to  carry  them  to  his  customers.  As 
we  sat  together,  laying  the  flowers  side  by  side,  he  con- 
stantly told  me  something  about  his  son,  and  his  beauty 
and  goodness  and  wisdom.  When  he  was  quite  a  little 
boy  he  could  write  poems,  and  he  learned  to  read  be- 
fore any  one  had  shown  him  how.  The  high-priest 
Ameni  heard  of  it  and  took  him  to  the  House  of  Seti,  and 
there  he  improved,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  gardener; 
not  long  ago  I  went  through  the  garden  with  the  old 
man.  He  talked  of  Pentaur  as  usual,  and  then  stood 


140  UARDA. 

still  before  a  noble  shrub  with  broad  leaves,  and  said, 
'  My  son  is  like  this  plant,  which  has  grown  up  close  to 
me,  and  I  know  not  how.  I  laid  the  seed  in  the  soil, 
with  others  that  I  bought  over  there  in  Thebes  ;  no  one 
knows  where  it  came  from,  and  yet  it  is  my  own.  It 
certainly  is  not  a  native  of  Egypt ;  and  is  not  Pentaur 
as  high  above  me  and  his  mother  and  his  brothers,  as 
this  shrub  is  above  the  other  flowers  ?  We  are  all 
small  and  bony,  and  he  is  tall  and  slim ;  our  skin  is 
dark  and  his  is  rosy ;  our  speech  is  hoarse,  his  as  sweet 
as  a  song.  I  believe  he  is  a  child  of  the  Gods  that  the 
Immortals  have  laid  in  my  homely  house.  Who  knows 
their  decrees  ?'  And  then  I  often  saw  Pentaur  at  the 
festivals,  and  asked  myself  which  of  the  other  priests 
of  the  temple  came  near  him  in  height  and  dignity  ?  I 
took  him  for  a  God,  and  when  I  saw  him  who 
saved  my  life  overcome  a  whole  mob  with  superhuman 
strength  must  I  not  regard  him  as  a  superior  Being  ? 
I  look  up  to  him  as  to  one  of  them ;  but  I  could  never 
look  in  his  eyes  as  I  do  in  yours.  It  would  not  make 
my  blood  flow  faster,  it  would  freeze  it  in  my  veins. 
How  can  I  say  what  I  mean !  my  soul  looks  straight 
out,  and  it  finds  you;  but  to  find  him  it  must  look  up 
to  the  heavens.  You  are  a  fresh  rose-garland  with 
which  I  crown  myself — he  is  a  sacred  persea-tree*  be- 
fore which  I  bow." 

Rameri  listened  to  her  in  silence,  and  then  said, 
"  I  am  still  young,  and  have  done  nothing  yet,  but  the 
time  shall  come  in  which  you  shall  look  up  to  me  too 
as  to  a  tree,  not  perhaps  a  sacred  tree,  but  as  to  a 
sycamore  under  whose  shade  we  love  to  rest.  I  am  no 
longer  gay;  I  will  leave  you  for  I  have  a  serious  duty 

*  Persea,  probably  Balanistes  /Egyptiaca, 


UARDA.  147 

to  fulfil.  Pentaur  is  a  complete  man,  and  I  will  be  one 
too.  But  you  shall  be  the  rose-garland  to  grace  me. 
Men  who  can  be  compared  to  flowers  disgust  me !" 

The  prince  rose,  and  offered  Uarda  his  hand. 

"  You  have  a  strong  hand,"  said  the  girl.  "  You 
will  be  a  noble  man,  and  work  for  good  and  great 
ends ;  only  look,  my  fingers  are  quite  red  with  being 
held  so  tightly.  But  they  too  are  not  quite  useless. 
They  have  never  done  anything  very  hard  certainly, 
but  what  they  tend  flourishes,  and  grandmother  says 
they  are  '  lucky.'  Look  at  the  lovely  lilies  and  the  pome- 
grenate  bush  in  that  corner.  Grandfather  brought  the 
earth  here  from  the  Nile,  Pentaur's  father  gave  me  the 
seeds,  and  each  little  plant  that  ventured  to  show  a 
green  shoot  through  the  soil  I  sheltered  and  nursed  and 
watered,  though  I  had  to  fetch  the  water  in  my  little 
pitcher,  till  it  was  vigorous,  and  thanked  me  with  flowers. 
Take  this  pomegranate  flower.  It  is  the  first  my  tree 
has  borne ;  and  it  is  very  strange,  when  the  bud  first 
began  to  lengthen  and  swell  my  grandmother  said,  'Now 
your  heart  will  soon  begin  to  bud  and  love.'  I  know 
now  what  she  meant,  and  both  the  first  flowers  belong 
to  you — the  red  one  here  off  the  tree,  and  the  other, 
which  you  cannot  see,  but  which  glows  as  brightly  as 
this  does." 

Rameri  pressed  the  scarlet  blossom  to  his  lips,  and 
stretched  out  his  hand  toward  Uarda ;  but  she  shrank 
back,  for  a  little  figure  slipped  through  an  opening  in 
the  hedge. 

It  was  Scherau. 

His  pretty  little  face  glowed  with  his  quick  run, 
and  his  breath  was  gone.  For  a  few  minutes  he  tried 
in  vain  for  words,  and  looked  anxiously  at  the  prince. 


148  UARDA. 

Uarda  saw  that  something  unusual  agitated  him ; 
she  spoke  to  him  kindly,  saying  that  if  he  wished  to 
speak  to  her  alone  he  need  not  be  afraid  of  Rameri,  for 
he  was  her  best  friend. 

"  But  it  does  not  concern  you  and  me,"  replied  the 
child,  "  but  the  good,  holy  father  Pentaur,  who  was  so 
kind  to  me,  and  who  saved  your  life." 

"  I  am  a  great  friend  of  Pentaur,"  said  the  prince. 
"  Is  it  not  true,  Uarda  ?  He  may  speak  with  confidence 
before  me." 

"  I  may  ?"  said  Scherau,  "  that  is  well.  I  have 
slipped  away ;  Hekt  may  come  back  at  any  moment, 
and  if  she  sees  that  I  have  taken  myself  off  I  shall  get 
a  beating  and  nothing  to  eat." 

"  Who  is  this  horrible  Hekt  ?"  asked  Rameri  in- 
dignantly. 

"That  Uarda  can  tell  you  by  and  by,"  said  the 
little  one  hurriedly.  •'  Now  only  listen.  She  laid  me  on 
my  board  in  the  cave,  and  threw  a  sack  over  me,  and 
first  came  Nemu,  and  then  another  man,  whom  she 
spoke  to  as  '  Steward.'  She  talked  to  him  a  long  time. 
At  first  I  did  not  listen,  but  then  I  caught  the  name  of 
Pentaur,  and  I  got  my  head  out,  and  now  I  understand 
it  all.  The  steward  declared  that  the  good  Pentaur 
was  wicked,  and  stood  in  his  way,  and  he  said  that 
Ameni  was  going  to  send  him  to  the  quarries  at  Chennu, 
but  that  that  was  much  too  small  a  punishment.  Then 
Hekt  advised  him  to  give  a  secret  commission  to  the 
captain  of  the  ship  to  go  beyond  Chennu,  to  the  fright- 
ful mountain-mines,  of  which  she  has  often  told  me,  for 
her  father  and  her  brother  were  tormented  to  death 
there." 


UARDA.  149 

"  None  ever  return  from  thence,"  said  the  prince. 
"  But  go  on." 

"  What  came  next,  I  only  half  understood,  but  they 
spoke  of  some  drink  that  makes  people  mad.  Oh! 
what  I  see  and  hear ! — I  would  lie  contentedly  on  my 
board  all  my  life  long,  but  all  else  is  too  horrible — I 
wish  that  I  were  dead." 

And  the  child  began  to  cry  bitterly. 

Uarda,  whose  cheeks  had  turned  pale,  patted  him 
affectionately ;  but  Rameri  exclaimed : 

"It  is  frightful!  unheard  of!  But  who  was  the 
steward  ?  did  you  not  hear  his  name  ?  Collect  your- 
self, little  man,  and  stop  crying.  It  is  a  case  of  life  and 
death.  Who  was  the  scoundrel  ?  Did  she  not  name 
him  ?  Try  to  remember." 

Scherau  bit  his  red  lips,  and  tried  for  composure. 
His  tears  ceased,  and  suddenly  he  exclaimed,  as  he  put 
his  hand  into  the  breast  of  his  ragged  little  garment : 
" Stay,  perhaps  you  will  know  him  again — I  made  him!" 

"  You  did  what  ?"  asked  the  prince. 

"  I  made  him,"  repeated  the  little  artist,  and  he  care- 
fully brought  out  an  object  wrapped  up  in  a  scrap  of  rag. 

"  I  could  just  see  his  head  quite  clearly  from  one 
side  all  the  time  he  was  speaking,  and  my  clay  lay  by 
me.  I  always  must  model  something  when  my  mind 
is  excited,  and  this  time  I  quickly  made  his  face,  and 
as  the  image  was  successful,  I  kept  it  about  me  to  show 
to  the  master*  when  Hekt  was  out." 

While  he  spoke  he  had  carefully  unwrapped  the 
figure  with  trembling  fingers,  and  had  given  it  to  Uarda. 

*  The  portraits  on  the  monuments,  especially  the  profiles  in  bas-relief,  are 
modelled  with  remarkable  exactness.  The  sketches  in  an  unfinished  hall  in  the 
tomb  of  Seti  I.,  at  Biban  el  Muluk  arouse  the  warmest  admiration  of  our  modern 
artists.  A  beautiful  collection  of  the  busts  of  the  Pharaohs  may  be  found  in 
Lepsius'  "Denkmalern  aus  /Egypten  und  ^ithiopien." 


150  UARDA. 

"  Ani !"  cried  the  prince.  "  He,  and  no  other !  Who 
could  have  thought  it !  What  spite  has  he  against 
Pentaur  ?  What  is  the  priest  to  him  ?" 

For  a  moment  he  reflected,  then  he  struck  his  hand 
against  his  forehead. 

"  Fool  that  I  am !"  he  exclaimed  vehemently.  "Child 
that  I  am !  of  course,  of  course ;  I  see  it  all.  Ani  asked 
for  Bent-Anat's  hand,  and  she — now  that  I  love  you, 
Uarda,  I  understand  what  ails  her.  Away  with  deceit ! 
I  will  tell  you  no  more  lies,  Uarda.  I  am  no  page  of 
honor  to  Bent-Anat;  I  am  her  brother,  and  king 
Rameses'  own  son.  Do  not  cover  your  face  with  your 
hands,  Uarda,  for  if  I  had  not  seen  your  mother's  jewel, 
and  if  I  were  not  only  a  prince,  but  Horus  himself,  the 
son  of  Isis,  I  must  have  loved  you,  and  would  not  have 
given  you  up.  But  now  other  things  have  to  be  done 
besides  lingering  with  you ;  now  I  will  show  you  that 
I  am  a  man,  now  that  Pentaur  is  to  be  saved.  Fare- 
well, Uarda,  and  think  of  me  !" 

He  would  have  hurried  off,  but  Scherau  held  him 
by  the  robe,  and  said  timidly:  Thou  sayst  thou  art 
Rameses'  son.  Hekt  spoke  of  him  too.  She  compared 
him  to  our  moulting  hawk." 

"  She  shall  soon  feel  the  talons  of  the  royal  eagle," 
cried  Rameri.  "  Once  more,  farewell !" 

He  gave  Uarda  his  hand,  she  pressed  it  passionately 
to  her  lips,  but  he  drew  it  away,  kissed  her  forehead, 
and  was  gone. 

The  maiden  looked  after  him  pale  and  speechless. 

She  saw  another  man  hastening  towards  her,  and 
recognizing  him  as  her  father,  she  went  quickly  to  meet 
him.  The  soldier  had  come  to  take  leave  of  her,  he 
had  to  escort  some  prisoners. 


UARDA.  151 

"  To  Chennu  ?"  asked  Uarda. 

"  No,  to  the  north,"  replied  the  man. 

His  daughter  now  related  what  she  had  heard, 
and  asked  whether  he  could  help  the  priest,  who  had 
saved  her. 

"  If  I  had  money,  if  I  had  money  !"  muttered  the 
soldier  to  himself. 

"  We  have  some,"  cried  Uarda ;  she  told  him  of 
Nebsecht's  gift,*  and  said :  "  Take  me  over  the  Nile, 
and  in  two  hours  you  will  have  enough  to  make  a 
man  rich.  But  no ;  I  cannot  leave  my  sick  grand- 
mother. You  yourself  take  the  ring,  and  remember 
that  Pentaur  is  being  punished  for  having  dared  to 
protect  us." 

"  1  remember  it,"  said  the  soldier.  "  I  have  but  one 
life,  but  I  will  willingly  give  it  to  save  his.  I  cannot 
devise  schemes,  but  I  know  something,  and  if  it  suc- 
ceeds he  need  not  go  to  the  gold-mines.  I  will  put 
the  wine-flask  aside;  give  me  a  drink  of  water,  for 
the  next  few  hours  I  must  keep  a  sober  head." 

"  There  is  the  water,  and  I  will  pour  in  a  mouthful 
of  wine.  Will  you  come  back  and  bring  me  news  ?" 

"  That  will  not  do,  for  we  set  sail  at  midnight,  but 
if  some  one  returns  to  you  with  the  ring  you  will  know 
that  what  I  propose  has  succeeded." 

Uarda  went  into  the  hut,  her  father  followed  her ; 
he  took  leave  of  his  sick  mother  and  of  his  daughter. 
When  they  went  out  of  doors  again,  he  said :  "  You 
have  to  live  on  the  princess's  gift  till  I  return,  and  I 

*  It  may  be  observed  that  among  the  Egytians  women  were  qualified  to 
own  and  dispose  of  property.  For  example  a  papyrus  (vn)  in  the  Louvre 
contains  an  agreement  between  Asklepias  (called  Senimuthis),  the  daughter  or 
maid-servant  of  a  corpse-diesser  of  Thebes,  who  is  the  debtor,  and  Arsiesis,  the 
creditor,  the  son  of  a  kolchytes  ;  both  therefore  are  of  the  same  rank  as  Uarda. 


152  UARDA. 

do  not  want  half  of  the  physician's  present.     But  where 
is  your  pomegranate  blossom  ?" 

"  I  have  picked  it  and  preserved  it  in  a  safe  place." 
"  Strange  things  are  women  !"  muttered  the  bearded 
man ;  he  tenderly  kissed  his  child's  forehead,  and  re- 
turned to  the  Nile  down   the  road  by  which  he  had 
come. 

The  prince  meanwhile  had  hurried  on,  and  enquired 
in  the  harbor  of  the  Necropolis  where  the  vessel 
destined  for  Chennu  was  lying — for  the  ships  loaded 
with  prisoners  were  accustomed  to  sail  from  this  side 
of  the  river,  starting  at  night.  Then  he  was  ferried 
over  the  river,  and  hastened  to  Bent-Anat.  He  found 
her  and  Nefert  in  unusual  excitement,  for  the  faithful 
chamberlain  had  learned — through  some  friends  of  the 
king  in  Ani's  suite — that  the  Regent  had  kept  back  all 
the  letters  intended  for  Syria,  and  among  them  those 
of  the  royal  family. 

A  lord  in  waiting,  who  was  devoted  to  the  king, 
had  been  encouraged  by  the  chamberlain  to  communi- 
cate to  Bent-Anat  other  things,  which  hardly  allowed 
any  doubts  as  to  the  ambitious  projects  of  her  uncle; 
she  was  also  exhorted  to  be  on  her  guard  with  Nefert, 
whose  mother  was  the  confidential  adviser  of  the 
Regent. 

Bent-Anat  smiled  at  this  warning,  and  sent  at  once 
a  message  to  Ani  to  inform  him  that  she  was  ready  to 
undertake  the  pilgrimage  to  the  "  Emerald-Hathor,  "and 
to  be  purified  in  the  sanctuary  of  that  Goddess. 

She  purposed  sending  a  message  to  her  father  from 
thence,  and  if  he  permitted  it,  joining  him  at  the  camp. 


UARDA.  153 

She  imparted  this  plan  to  her  friend,  and  Nefert 
thought  any  road  the  best  that  would  take  her  to  her 
husband. 

Rameri  was  soon  initiated  into  all  this,  and  in  re- 
turn he  told  them  all  he  had  learned,  and  let  Bent- 
Anat  guess  that  he  had  read  her  secret. 

So  dignified,  so  grave,  were  the  conduct  and  the 
speech  of  the  boy  who  had  so  lately  been  an  over- 
bearing mad-cap,  that  Bent-Anat  thought  to  herself  that 
the  danger  of  their  house  had  suddenly  ripened  a  boy 
into  a  man. 

She  had  in  fact  no  objection  to  raise  to  his  ar- 
rangements. He  proposed  to  travel  after  sunset,  with 
a  few  faithful  servants  on  swift  horses  as  far  as  Keft,* 
and  from  thence  ride  fast  across  the  desert  to  the  Red 
Sea,  where  they  could  take  a  Phoenician  ship,  and  sail 
to  Aila.**  From  thence  they  would  cross  the  peninsula 
of  Sinai,  and  strive  to  reach  the  Egyptian  army  by 
forced  marches,  and  make  the  king  acquainted  with 
Ani's  criminal  attempts. 

To  Bent-Anat  was  given  the  task  of  rescuing  Pen- 
taur,  with  the  help  of  the  faithful  chamberlain. 

Money  was  fortunately  not  wanting,  as  the  high 
treasurer  was  on  their  side.  All  depended  on  their  in- 
ducing the  captain  to  stop  at  Chennu ;  the  poet's  fate 
would  there,  at  the  worst,  be  endurable.  At  the  same 
time,  a  trustworthy  messenger  was  to  be  sent  to  the 
governor  of  Chennu,  commanding  him  in  the  name  of 
the  king  to  detain  every  ship  that  might  pass  the  nar- 
rows of  Chennu  by  night,  and  to  prevent  any  of  the 

*  Koptos,  now  Qeft  on  the  Nile.  **  Now  Aqaba. 

32 


154  UARDA. 

prisoners  that  had  been  condemned  to  the  quarries 
from  being  smuggled  on  to  Ethiopia. 

Rameri  took  leave  of  the  two  women,  and  he  suc- 
ceeded in  leaving  Thebes  unobserved. 

Bent-Anat  knelt  in  prayer  before  the  images  of  her 
mother  in  Osiris,  of  Hathor,  and  of  the  guardian  Gods 
of  her  house,  till  the  chamberlain  returned,  and  told 
her  that  he  had  persuaded  the  captain  of  the  ship  to 
stop  at  Chennu,  and  to  conceal  from  Ani  that  he  had 
betrayed  his  charge. 

The  princess  breathed  more  freely,  for  she  had 
come  to  a  resolution  that  if  the  chamberlain  had  failed 
in  his  mission,  she  would  cross  over  to  the  Necropolis, 
forbid  the  departure  of  the  vessel,  and  in  the  last 
extremity  rouse  the  people,  who  were  devoted  to  her, 
against  Ani. 

The  following  morning  the  Lady  Katuti  craved 
permission  of  the  princess  to  see  her  daughter.  Bent- 
Anat  did  not  show  herself  to  the  widow,  whose  efforts 
failed  to  keep  her  daughter  from  accompanying  the 
princess  on  her  journey,  or  to  induce  her  to  return 
home.  Angry  and  uneasy,  the  indignant  mother  hastened 
to  Ani,  and  implored  him  to  keep  Nefert  at  home  by 
force ;  but  the  Regent  wished  to  avoid  attracting  atten- 
tion, and  to  let  Bent-Anat  set  out  with  a  feeling  of 
complete  security. 

"  Do  not  be  uneasy,"  he  said.  "  I  will  give  the  ladies 
a  trustworthy  escort,  who  will  keep  them  at  the  Sanc- 
tuary of  the  'Emerald-Hathor'  till  all  is  settled.  There 
you  can  deliver  Nefert  to  Paaker,  if  you  still  like  to 
have  him  for  a  son-in-law  after  hearing  several  things 
that  I  have  learned.  As  for  me,  in  the  end  I  may  in- 


UARDA.  155 

duce  my  haughty  niece  to  look  up  instead  of  down  ; 
I  may  be  her  second  love,  though  for  that  matter  she 
certainly  is  not  my  first." 

On  the  following  day  the  princess  set  out. 

Ani  took  leave  of  her  with  kindly  formality,  which 
she  returned  with  coolness.  The  priesthood  of  the 
temple  of  Amon,  with  old  Bek  en  Chunsu  at  their 
head,  escorted  her  to  the  harbor.  The  people  on 
the  banks  shouted  Bent-Anat's  name  with  a  thousand 
blessings,  but  many  insulting  words  were  to  be  heard 
also. 

The  pilgrim's  Nile-boat  was  followed  by  two  others, 
full  of  soldiers,  who  accompanied  the  ladies  "  to  pro- 
tect them." 

The  south-wind  filled  the  sails,  and  carried  the 
little  procession  swiftly  down  the  stream.  The  prin- 
cess looked  now  towards  the  palace  of  her  fathers,  now 
towards  the  tombs  and  temples  of  the  Necropolis.  At 
last  even  the  colossus  of  Amenophis  disappeared,  and 
the  last  houses  of  Thebes.  The  brave  maiden  sighed 
deeply,  and  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks.  She  felt 
as  if  she  were  flying  after  a  lost  battle,  and  yet  not 
wholly  discouraged,  but  hoping  for  future  victory.  As 
she  turned  to  go  to  the  cabin,  a  veiled  girl  stepped 
up  to  her,  took  the  veil  from  her  face,  and  said  : 

"Pardon  me,  princess;  I  amUarda,  whom  thou  didst 
run  over,  and  to  whom  thou  hast  since  been  so  good. 
My  grandmother  is  dead,  and  I  am  quite  alone.  I 
slipped  in  among  thy  maid-servants,  for  I  wish  to  follow 
thee,  and  to  obey  all  thy  commands.  Only  do  not 
send  me  away." 

"  Stay,  dear  child,"  said  the  princess,  laying  her 
hand  on  her  hair. 


156  UARDA. 

Then,  struck  by  its  wonderful  beauty,  she  remem- 
bered her  brother,  and  his  wish  to  place  a  rose  in 
Uarda's  shining  tresses. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Two  months  had  past  since  Bent-Anat's  departure 
from  Thebes,  and  the  imprisonment  of  Pentaur. 

Ant-Baba  is  the  name  of  the  valley,  in  the  western 
half  of  the  peninsula  of  Sinai,*  through  which  a  long 
procession  of  human  beings,  and  of  beasts  of  burden, 
wended  their  way. 

It  was  winter,  and  yet  the  mid-day  sun  sent  down 
glowing  rays,  which  were  reflected  from  the  naked 
rocks.  In  front  of  the  caravan  marched  a  company  of 
Libyan  soldiers,  and  another  brought  up  the  rear. 
Each  man  was  armed  with  a  dagger  and  battle-axe,  a 
shield  and  a  lance,  and  was  ready  to  use  his  weapons; 
for  those  whom  they  were  escorting  were  prisoners 
from  the  emerald-mines,  who  had  been  convoyed  to 
the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea**  to  carry  thither  the  pro- 
duce of  the  mines,  and  had  received,  as  a  return-load, 
provisions  which  had  arrived  from  Egypt,  and  which 
were  to  be  carried  to  the  storehouses  of  the  mountain- 
mines.  Bent  and  panting,  they  made  their  way  along. 
Each  prisoner  had  a  copper  chain  riveted  round  his 
ankles,  and  torn  rags  hanging  round  their  loins,  were  the 
only  clothing  of  these  unhappy  beings,  who,  gasping 
under  the  weight  of  the  sacks  they  had  to  carry, 

*  I  have  described  in  detail  the  peninsula  of  Sinai,  its  history,  and  the 
sacred  places  on  it,  in  my  book  "Durch  Gosen  zum  Sinai,"  published  in  1872.  In 
depicting  this  scenery  in  the  present  romance,  I  have  endeavored  to  reproduce 
the  reality  as  closely  as  possible.  He  who  has  wandered  through  this  wonderful 
mountain  wilderness  can  never  forget  it.  The  valley  now  called  "  1'aba,"  bore 
the  same  name  in  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs. 

**  The  old  road  leading  from  the  mines  to  the  sea  seems  to  have  ended  at 
the  bay,  now  called  Abu  Zetimeh,  near  the  cape  of  the  same  name. 


UARDA.  157 

kept  their  staring  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground.  If  one  of 
them  threatened  to  sink  altogether  under  his  burden, 
he  was  refreshed  by  the  whip  of  one  of  the  horsemen, 
who  accompanied  the  caravan.  Many  a  one  found  it 
hard  to  choose  whether  he  could  best  endure  the  suffer- 
ing of  mere  endurance,  or  the  torture  of  the  lash. 

No  one  spoke  a  word,  neither  the  prisoners  nor 
their  guards ;  and  even  those  who  were  flogged  did  not 
cry  out,  for  their  powers  were  exhausted,  and  in  the 
souls  of  their  drivers  there  was  no  more  impulse  of 
pity  than  there  was  a  green  herb  on  the  rocks  by  the 
way.  This  melancholy  procession  moved  silently  on- 
wards, like  a  procession  of  phantoms,  and  the  ear  was 
only  made  aware  of  it  when  now  and  then  a  low  groan 
broke  from  one  of  the  victims. 

The  sandy  path,  trodden  by  their  naked  feet,  gave  no 
sound,  the  mountains  seemed  to  withhold  their  shade, 
the  light  of  day  was  a  torment — every  thing  far  and  near 
seemed  inimical  to  the  living.  Not  a  plant,  not  a  creep- 
ing thing,  showed  itself  against  the  weird  forms  of  the 
barren  grey  and  brown  rocks,  and  no  soaring  bird  tempt- 
ed the  oppressed  wretches  to  raise  their  eyes  to  heaven. 

In  the  noontide  heat  of  the  previous  day  they  had 
started  with  their  loads  from  the  harbor-creek.  For 
two  hours  they  had  followed  the  shore  of  the  glistening, 
blue-green  sea,*  then  they  had  climbed  a  rocky  shoulder 
and  crossed  a  small  plateau.  They  had  paused  for 
their  night's  rest  in  the  gorge  which  led  to  the  mines ; 
the  guides  and  soldiers  lighted  fires,  grouped  themselves 
round  them,  and  lay  down  to  sleep  under  the  shelter  of 

*  The  Red  Sea — in  Hebrew  and  Coptic  the  reedy  sea — is  of  a  lovely  blue 
green  color.  According  to  the  Ancients  it  was  named  red  either  from  its  red 
banks  or  from  the  Erythraeans,  who  were  called  the  red  people.  On  an  early 
inscription  it  is  called  "  the  water  of  the  Red  country."  See  "Durch  Gosen 
zum  Sinai." 


158  UARDA. 

a  cleft  in  the  rocks ;  the  prisoners  stretched  themselves 
on  the  earth  in  the  middle  of  the  valley  without  any 
shelter,  and  shivering  with  the  cold  which  suddenly 
succeeded  the  glowing  heat  of  the  day.  The  benumbed 
wretches  now  looked  forward  to  the  crushing  misery 
of  the  morning's  labor  as  eagerly  as,  a  few  hours  since, 
they  had  longed  for  the  night,  and  for  rest. 

Lentil-broth  and  hard  bread  in  abundance,  but  a 
very  small  quantity  of  water  was  given  to  them  before 
they  started;  then  they  set  out  through  the  gorge,  which 
grew  hotter  and  hotter,  and  through  ravines  where  they 
could  pass  only  one  by  one.  Every  now  and  then  it 
seemed  as  if  the  path  came  to  an  end,  but  each  time  it 
found  an  outlet,  and  went  on — as  endless  as  the  tor- 
ment of  the  wayfarers. 

Mighty  walls  of  rock  composed  the  view,  looking  as 
if  they  were  formed  of  angular  masses  of  hewn  stone 
piled  up  in  rows;  and  of  all  the  miners  one,  and  one 
only,  had  eyes  for  these  curious  structures  of  the  ever- 
various  hand  of  Nature. 

This  one  had  broader  shoulders  than  his  companions, 
and  his  burden  weighed  on  him  comparatively  lightly. 

"  In  this  solitude,"  thought  he,  "  which  repels  man, 
and  forbids  his  passing  his  life  here,  the  Chnemu,*  the 
laborers  who  form  the  world,  have  spared  themselves 
the  trouble  of  filling  up  the  seams,  and  rounding  off 
the  corners.  How  is  it  that  Man  should  have  dedicated 
this  hideous  land — in  which  even  the  human  heart 
seems  to  be  hardened  against  all  pity — to  the  merciful 
Hathor?**  Perhaps  because  it  so  sorely  stands  in  need 


UARDA.  159 

of  the  joy  and  peace  which  the  loving  goddess  alone 
can  bestow." 

"  Keep  the  line,  Huni !"  shouted  a  driver. 

The  man  thus  addressed,  closed  up  to  the  next 
man,  the  panting  leech  Nebsecht.  We  know  the  other 
stronger  prisoner.  It  is  Pentaur,  who  had  been  entered 
as  Huni  on  the  lists  of  mine-laborers,  and  was  called 
by  that  name.  The  file  moved  on ;  at  every  step  the 
ascent  grew  more  rugged.  Red  and  black  fragments 
of  stone,  broken  as  small  as  if  by  the  hand  of  man, 
lay  in  great  heaps,  or  strewed  the  path  which  led  up 
the  almost  perpendicular  cliff  by  imperceptible  degrees. 
Here  another  gorge  opened  before  them,  and  this  time 
there  seemed  to  be  no  outlet. 

"  Load  the  asses  less !"  cried  the  captain  of  the 
escort  to  the  prisoners.  Then  he  turned  to  the  soldiers, 
and  ordered  them,  when  the  beasts  were  eased,  to  put 
the  extra  burthens  on  the  men.  Putting  forth  their 
utmost  strength,  the  overloaded  men  labored  up  the 
steep  and  hardly  distinguishable  mountain  path.* 

The  man  in  front  of  Pentaur,  a  lean  old  man,  when 
half  way  up  the  hill-side,  fell  in  a  heap  under  his  load, 
and  a  driver,  who  in  a  narrow  defile  could  not  reach 
the  bearers,  threw  a  stone  at  him  to  urge  him  to  a  re- 
newed effort. 

The  old  man  cried  out  at  the  blow,  and  at  the  cry 
— the  paraschites  stricken  down  with  stones — his  own 
struggle  with  the  mob — and  the  appearance  of  Bent- 
Anat  flashed  into  Pentaur's  memory.  Pity  and  a  sense 
of  his  own  healthy  vigor  prompted  him  to  energy;  he 
hastily  snatched  the  sack  from  the  shoulders  of  the 
old  man,  threw  it  over  his  own,  helped  up  the  fallen 

*  Now  called   Naqb  el   Buddrah.      Major  Macdonald,  the  Englishman,  who 
reopened  the  old  turquoise  mines,  restored  '.he  ancient  oath. 


160  UARDA. 

wretch,  and  finally  men  and  beasts  succeeded  in  mount- 
ing the  rocky   wall. 

The  pulses  throbbed  in  Pentaur's  temples,  and  r- 
shuddered  with  horror,  as  he  looked  down  from  tiu 
height  of  the  pass  into  the  abyss  below,  and  round  upon 
the  countless  pinnacles  and  peaks,  cliffs  and  precipices, 
in  many-colored  rocks — white  and  grey,  sulphurous 
yellow,  blood-red  and  ominous  black.  He  recalled  the 
sacred  lake  of  Muth  in  Thebes.*  round  which  sat  a 
hundred  statues  of  the  lion -headed  Goddess  in  black 
basalt,  each  on  a  pedestal;  and  the  rocky  peaks,  which 
surrounded  the  valley  at  his  feet,  seemed  to  put  on  a 
semblance  of  life  and  to  move  and  open  their  yawning 
jaws;  through  the  wild  rush  of  blood  in  his  ears  he 
fancied  he  heard  them  roar,  and  the  load  beyond  his 
strength  which  he  carried  gave  him  a  sensation  as 
though  their  clutch  was  on  his  breast. 

Nevertheless  he  reached  the  goal. 

The  other  prisoners  flung  their  loads  from  their 
shoulders,  and  threw  themselves  down  to  rest.  Mechan- 
ically he  did  the  same :  his  pulses  beat  more  calmly,  by 
degrees  the  visions  faded  from  his  senses,  he  saw  and 
heard  once  more,  and  his  brain  recovered  its  balance. 
The  old  man  and  Nebsecht  were  lying  beside  him. 

His  grey-haired  companion  rubbed  the  swollen 
veins  in  his  neck,  and  called  down  all  the  blessings  of 
the  Gods  upon  his  head;  but  the  captain  of  the  cara- 
van cut  him  short,  exclaiming : 

"  You  have  strength  for  three,  Huni;  farther  on,  we 
will  load  you  more  heavily." 

"  Plow  much  the   kindly  Gods  care  for  our  prayers 

*  An  admirable  representation  of  it  by  Carl  Werner,  may  be  found  among 
his  Nile  pictures,  published  by  Seitz. 


UARDA.  l6l 

for  the  blessing  of  others  !"  exclaimed  Nebsecht.  "  How 
well  they  know  how  to  reward  a  good  action!" 

"  I  am  rewarded  enough,"  said  Pentaur,  looking 
kindly  at  the  old  man.  "  But  you,  you  everlasting 
scoffer — you  look  pale.  How  do  you  feel  ?" 

"As  if  I  were  one  of  those  donkeys  there,"  replied 
the  naturalist.  "  My  knees  shake  like  theirs,  and  I 
think  and  I  wish  neither  more  nor  less  than  they  do ; 
that  is  to  say — I  would  we  were  in  our  stalls." 

"  If  you  can  think,"  said  Pentaur  smiling,  "you  are 
not  so  very  bad." 

"  I  had  a  good  thought  just  now,  when  you  were 
staring  up  into  the  sky.  The  intellect,  say  the  priestly 
sages,  is  a  vivifying  breath  of  the  eternal  spirit,  and  our 
soul  is  the  mould  or  core  for  the  mass  of  matter  which  we 
call  a  human  being.  I  sought  the  spirit  at  first  in  the 
heart,  then  in  the  brain;  but  now  I  know  that  it  resides 
in  the  arms  and  legs,  for  when  I  have  strained  them 
I  find  thought  is  impossible.  I  am  too  tired  to  enter 
on  further  evidence,  but  for  the  future  I  shall  treat  my 
legs  with  the  utmost  consideration." 

"  Quarrelling  again  you  two  ?  On  again,  men!"  cried 
the  driver. 

The  weary  wretches  rose  slowly,  the  beasts  were 
loaded,  and  on  went  the  pitiable  procession,  so  as  to 
reach  the  mines  before  sunset. 

The  destination  of  the  travellers  was  a  wide  valley, 
closed  in  by  two  high  and  rocky  mountain-slopes  ;  it  was 
called  Ta  Mafka  by  the  Egyptians,  Dophka  by  the  He- 
brews. The  southern  cliff-wall  consisted  of  dark  granite, 
the  northern  of  red  sandstone ;  in  a  distant  branch  of  the 
valley*  lay  the  mines  in  which  copper  was  found.  In 

*  Discovered  by  Palmer  and  Wilson,  in  Wadi  Umm  Themaim.  I  gladly  call  at- 
tention to  the  interesting  Look  "The  Desert  of  the  Exodus  etc.,"  by  A.  M.  Palmer. 
Cambridge,  1871. 


1.62  UARDA. 

the  midst  of  the  valley  rose  a  hill,*  surrounded  by  a  wall, 
and  crowned  with  small  stone  houses,  for  the  guard,  the 
officers,  and  the  overseers.**  According  to  the  old  regu- 
lations, they  were  without  roofs,  but  as  many  deaths  and 
much  sickness  had  occurred  among  the  workmen  in  con- 
sequence of  the  cold  nights,  they  had  been  slightly  shel- 
tered with  palm-branches  brought  from  the  oasis  of  the 
Amalekites,  at  no  great  distance. 

On  the  uttermost  peak  of  the  hill,  where  it  was  most 
exposed  to  the  wind,  were  the  smelting  furnaces,  and  a 
manufactory  where  a  peculiar  green  glass  was  prepared, 
which  was  brought  into  the  market  under  the  name  of 
Mafkat,  that  is  to  say,  emerald.  The  genuine  precious 
stone  was  found  farther  to  the  south,  on  the  western  shore 
of  the  Red  Sea,  and  was  highly  prized  in  Egypt. 

Our  friends  had  already  for  more  than  a  month  be- 
longed to  the  mining-community  of  the  Mafkat  valley, 
and  Pentaur  had  never  learned  how  it  was  that  he  had 
been  brought  hither  with  his  companion  Nebsecht,  in- 
stead of  going  to  the  sandstone  quarries  of  Chennu. 

That  Uarda's  father  had  effected  this  change  was  be- 
yond a  doubt,  and  the  poet  trusted  the  rough  but  honest 
soldier  who  still  kept  near  him,  and  gave  him  credit  for 
the  best  intentions,  although  he  had  only  spoken  to  him 
once  since  their  departure  from  Thebes. 

That  was  the  first  night,  when  he  had  come  up  to 
Pentaur,  and  whispered  :  "  1  am  looking  after  you.  You 
will  find  the  physician  Nebsecht  here;  but  treat  each 
other  as  enemies  rather  than  as  friends,  if  you  do  not 
wish  to  be  parted." 

Pentaur  had  communicated  the  soldier's  advice  to 
Nebsecht,  and  he  had  followed  it  in  his  own  way. 

*Now  called  Wadi  Maghara.          "*  Ruins  of  these  houses  still  remain. 


UARDA.  163 

It  afforded  him  a  secret  pleasure  to  see  how  Pentaur's 
life  contradicted  the  belief  in  a  just  and  beneficent  order- 
ing of  the  destinies  of  men ;  and  the  more  he  and  the  poet 
were  oppressed,  the  more  bitter  was  the  irony,  often 
amounting  to  extravagance,  with  which  the  mocking 
sceptic  attacked  him. 

He  loved  Pentaur,  for  the  poet  had  in  his  keeping  the 
key  which  alone  could  give  admission  to  the  beautiful 
world  which  lay  locked  up  in  his  own  soul ;  but  yet  it  was 
easy  to  him,  if  he  thought  they  were  observed,  to  play  his 
part,  and  to  overwhelm  Pentaur  with  words  which,  to  the 
drivers,  were  devoid  of  meaning,  and  which  made  them 
laugh  by  the  strange  blundering  fashion  in  which  he 
stammered  them  out. 

"  A  belabored  husk  of  the  divine  self-consciousness." 
"An  advocate  of  righteousness  hit  on  the  mouth." 
"  A  juggler  who  makes  as  much  of  this  worst  of  all  pos- 
sible worlds  as  if  it  were  the  best."  "An  admirer  of  the 
lovely  color  of  his  blue  bruises."  These  and  other  terms 
of  invective,  intelligible  only  to  himself  and  his  butt,  he 
could  always  pour  out  in  new  combinations,  exciting 
Pentaur  to  sharp  and  often  witty  rejoinders,  equally  un- 
intelligible to  the  uninitiated. 

Frequently  their  sparring  took  the  form  of  a  serious 
discussion,  which  served  a  double  purpose;  first  their 
minds,  accustomed  to  serious  thought,  found  exercise  in 
spite  of  the  murderous  pressure  of  the  burden  of  forced 
labor;  and  secondly,  they  were  supposed  really  to  be 
enemies.  They  slept  in  the  same  court-yard,  and  con- 
trived, now  and  then,  to  exchange  a  few  words  in  secret ; 
but  by  day  Nebsecht  worked  in  the  turquoise-diggings, 
and  Pentaur  in  the  mines,  for  the  careful  chipping  out  of 
the  precious  stones  from  their  stony  matrix  was  the  work 


164  UARDA. 

best  suited  to  the  slight  physician,  while  Pentaur's  giant- 
strength  was  fitted  for  hewing  the  ore  out  of  the  hard 
rock.  The  drivers  often  looked  in  surprise  at  his  power- 
ful strokes,  as  he  flung  his  pick  against  the  stone. 

The  stupendous  images  that  in  such  moments  of  wild 
energy  rose  before  the  poet's  soul,  the  fearful  or  enchanting 
tones  that  rang  in  his  spirit's  ear — none  could  guess  at. 

Usually  his  excited  fancy  showed  him  the  form  of  Ben  t- 
Anat,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  men — and  these  he  seemed 
to  fell  to  the  earth,  one  by  one,  as  he  he  wed  the  rock.  Often 
in  the  middle  of  his  work  he  would  stop,  throw  down  his 
pick-axe,  and  spread  out  his  arms — but  only  to  drop  them 
with  a  deep  groan,  and  wipe  the  sweat  from  his  brow. 

The  overseers  did  not  know  what  to  think  of  this  pow- 
erful youth,  who  often  was  as  gentle  as  a  child,  and  then 
seemed  possessed  of  that  demon  to  which  so  many  of  the 
convicts  fell  victims.*  He  had  indeed  become  a  riddle  to 
himself;  for  how  was  it  that  he — the  gardener's  son, 
brought  up  in  the  peaceful  temple  of  Seti — ever  since  that 
night  by  the  house  of  the  paraschites  had  had  such  a 
perpetual  craving  for  conflict  and  struggle  ? 

The  weary  gangs  were  gone  to  rest ;  a  bright  fire 
still  blazed  in  front  of  the  house  of  the  superintendent 
of  the  mines,  and  round  it  squatted  in  a  circle  the  over- 
seers and  the  subalterns  of  the  troops. 

"  Put  the  wine-jar  round  again,"  said  the  captain,  "for 
we  must  hold  grave  council.  Yesterday  I  had  orders 
from  the  Regent  to  send  half  the  guard  to  Pelusium.  He 
requires  soldiers,  but  we  are  so  few  in  number  that  if  the 

*The  terrible  fate  of  the  Egyptian  miners  is  described  in  detail  in  a  famous 
passage  of  Agatharchides  of  Knidos,  which  is  found  in  Diodorus  III.  12,  13  and 
14.  True,  the  passage  does  not  ref.-r  to  the  mines  here  mentioned  but  the 
Ethiopian  gold  mines,  rediscovered  by  l.inant-Pacha  and  Bonomi  in  1832  and 
183  j,  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea.  The  gold  strata  in  the  quartz  rocks  of 
the  Bischari  district  are  now  completely  exhausted. 


UARDA.  165 

convicts  knew  it  they  might  make  short  work  of  us,  even 
without  arms.  There  are  stones  enough  hereabouts,  and 
by  day  they  have  their  hammer  and  chisel.*  Things  are 
worst  among  the  Hebrews  in  the  copper-mines;  they 
are  a  refractory  crew  that  must  be  held  tight.  You  know 
me  well,  fear  is  unknown  to  me — but  I  feel  great  anxiety. 
The  last  fuel  is  now  burning  in  this  fire,  and  the  smelting 
furnaces  and  the  glass-foundry  must  not  stand  idle.  To- 
morrow we  must  send  men  to  Raphidim**  to  obtain  char- 
coal from  the  Amalekites.  They  owe  us  a  hundred  loads 
still.***  Load  the  prisoners  with  some  copper,  to  make 
them  tired  and  the  natives  civil.  What  can  we  do  to  pro- 
cure what  we  want,  and  yet  not  to  weaken  the  forces  here 
too  much  ?" 

Various  opinions  were  given,  and  at  last  it  was  settled 
that  a  small  division,  guarded  by  a  few  soldiers,  should 
be  sent  out  every  day  to  supply  only  the  daily  need  for 
charcoal. 

It  was  suggested  that  the  most  dangerous  of  the  con- 
victs should  be  fettered  together  in  pairs  to  perform  their 
duties. 

The  superintendent  was  of  opinion  that  two  strong 
men  fettered  together  would  be  more  to  be  feared  if 
only  they  acted  in  concert. 

'  Then  chain  a  strong  one  to  a  weak  one,"  said  the 
chief  accountant  of  the  mines,  whom  the  Egyptians 
called  the  'scribe  of  the  metals.'  "  And  fetter  those  to- 
gether who  are  enemies." 

*  The  chisels  were  in  the  shnpe  of  swallow-tails. 

**  The  oasis  at  the  foot  of  Horeb,  where  the  Jews  under  Joshua's  com- 
mand conquered  the  Amalekites,  while  Aaron  and  Hur  held  up  Moses'  arms. 
Exodus  17,  8. 

**  The  Bedouins  on  the  peninsula  of  Sinai  at  the  present  day  make  char- 
coal from  the  wood  of  the  Sejal  tree  (Acacia  tortilis  Hayne)  and  bring  it  to  the 
Cairo  market. 


1 66  UARDA. 

"  The  colossal  Huni,  for  instance,  to  that  puny  spai 
row,  the  stuttering  Nebsecht,"  said  a  subaltern. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  that  very  couple,"  said  the  ac- 
countant laughing. 

Three  other  couples  were  selected,  at  first  with  some 
laughter,  but  finally  with  serious  consideration,  and 
Uarda's  father  was  sent  with  the  drivers  as  an  escort. 

On  the  following  morning  Pentaur  and  Nebsecht 
were  fettered  together  with  a  copper  chain,  and  when 
the  sun  was  at  its  height  four  pairs  of  prisoners,  heavily 
loaded  with  copper,  set  out  for  the  Oasis  of  the  Ama- 
lekites,  accompanied  by  six  soldiers  and  the  son  of  the 
paraschites,  to  fetch  fuel  for  the  smelting  furnaces. 

They  rested  near  the  town  of  Alus,  and  then  went  for- 
ward again  between  bare  walls  of  greyish-green  and  red 
porphyry.  These  cliffs  rose  higher  and  higher,  but  from 
time  to  time,  above  the  lower  range,  they  could  see  the 
rugged  summit  of  some  giant  of  the  range,  though,  bowed 
under  their  heavy  loads,  they  paid  small  heed  to  it. 

The  sun  was  near  setting  when  they  reached  the 
little  sanctuary  of  the  '  Emerald- Hathor.' 

A  few  grey  and  black  birds  here  flew  towards  them, 
and  Pentaur  gazed  at  them  with  delight. 

How  long  he  had  missed  the  sight  of  a  bird,  and  the 
sound  of  their  chirp  and  song  !  Nebsecht  said  :  "  There 
are  some  birds — we  must  be  near  water." 

And  there  stood  the  first  palm-tree  ! 

Now  the  murmur  of  the  brook  was  perceptible,  and 
its  tiny  sound  touched  the  thirsty  souls  of  the  travellers 
as  rain  falls  on  dry  grass. 

On  the  left  bank  of  the  stream  an  encampment  of 
Egyptian  soldiers  formed  a  large  semicircle,  enclosing 
three  large  tents  made  of  costly  material  striped  with 


UARDA.  167 

blue  and  white,  and  woven  with  gold  thread.  Nothing 
was  to  be  seen  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  tents,  but 
when  the  prisoners  had  passed  them,  and  the  drivers 
were  exchanging  greetings  with  the  out-posts,  a  girl,  in 
the  long  robe  of  an  Egyptian,  came  towards  them,  and 
looked  at  them. 

Pentaur  started  as  if  he  had  seen  a  ghost;  but 
Nebsecht  gave  expression  to  his  astonishment  in  a 
loud  cry. 

At  the  same  instant  a  driver  laid  his  whip  across 
their  shoulders,  and  cried  laughing: 

"You  may  hit  each  other  as  hard  as  you  like  with 
words,  but  not  with  your  hands." 

Then  he  turned  to  his  companions,  and  said: 
"  Did  you  see  the  pretty  girl  there,  in  front  of  the 
tent?" 

"It  is  nothing  to  us!"  answered  the  man  he 
addressed.  "She  belongs  to  the  princess's  train.  She 
has  been  three  weeks  here  on  a  visit  to  the  holy 
shrine  of  Hathor." 

"She  must  have  committed  some  heavy  sin," 
replied  the  other.  "  If  she  were  one  of  us,  she  would 
have  been  set  to  sift  sand  in  the  diggings,  or  grind 
colors,  and  not  be  living  here  in  a  gilt  tent.  Where 
is  our  red-beard  ?  " 

Uarda's  father  had  lingered  a  little  behind  the 
party,  for  the  girl  had  signed  to  him,  and  exchanged 
a  few  words  with  him. 

"Have  you  still  an  eye  for  the  fair  ones?"  asked 
the  youngest  of  the  drivers  when  he  rejoined  the 
gang. 

"She  is  a  waiting  maid  of  the  princess,"  replied 
the  soldier  not  without  embarrassment.  "To-morrow 


1 68  UARDA. 

morning  we  are  to  carry  a  letter  from  her  to  the  scribe 
of  the  mines,  and  if  we  encamp  in  the  neighborhood  she 
will  send  us  some  wine  for  carrying  it." 

"The  old  red-beard  scents  wine  as  a  fox  scents  a 
goose.  Let  us  encamp  here;  one  never  knows  what 
may  be  picked  up  among  the  Mentu,  and  the  superin- 
tendent said  we  were  to  encamp  outside  the  oasis. 
Put  down  your  sacks,  men  !  Here  there  is  fresh  water, 
and  perhaps  a  few  dates  and  sweet  Manna*  for  you  to 
eat  with  it.  But  keep  the  peace,  you  two  quarrelsome 
fellows — Huni  and  Nebsecht." 

Bent-Anat's  journey  to  the  Emerakl-Hathor  was 
long  since  ended.  As  far  as  Keft**  she  had  sailed  down 
the  Nile  with  her  escort,  from  thence  she  had  crossed  the 
desert  by  easy  marches,  and  she  had  been  obliged  to  wait 
a  full  week  in  the  port  on  the  Red  Sea,***  which  was 
chiefly  inhabited  by  Phoenicians,  for  a  ship  which  had  fi- 
nally brought  her  to  the  little  seaport  of  Pharan.  From 
Pharan  she  had  crossed  the  mountains  to  the  oasis,  where 
the  sanctuary  she  was  to  visit  stood  on  the  northern  side. 

The  old  priests,  who  conducted  the  service  of  the 
Goddess,  had  received  the  daughter  of  Rameses  with 
respect,  and  undertook  to  restore  her  to  cleanness  by 
degrees  with  the  help  of  the  water  from  the  mountain- 
stream  which  watered  the  palm-grove  of  the  Amale- 
kites,  of  incense-burning,  of  pious  sentences,  and  of  a 
hundred  other  ceremonies.  At  last  the  Goddess  declared 
herself  satisfied,  and  Bent-Anat  wished  to  start  for  the 
north  and  join  her  father,  but  the  commander  of  the 

*  "  Man"  is  the  name  still  given  by  the  Bedouins  of  Sin.ii  to  the  sweet 
pum  which  exudes  from  the  Tamarix  mannifera.  It  is  the  result  of  the  puncture 
of  an  insect,  and  occurs  chiefly  in  May.  By  many  it  is  supposed  to  be  the 
Manna  of  the  Bible. 

**  See  note  page  153  ***  Afterwards  called  Berenice. 


UARDA.  169 

escort,  a  grey-headed  Ethiopian  field  officer — who  had 
been  promoted  to  a  high  grade  by  Ani — explained  to 
the  Chamberlain  that  he  had  orders  to  detain  the 
princess  in  the  oasis  until  her  departure  was  authorized 
by  the  Regent  himself. 

Bent-Anat  now  hoped  for  the  support  of  her  father, 
for  her  brother  Rameri,  if  no  accident  had  occurred  to 
him,  might  arrive  any  day.  But  in  vain. 

The  position  of  the  ladies  was  particularly  unpleas- 
ant, for  they  felt  that  they  had  been  caught  in  a  trap,  and 
were  in  fact  prisoners.  In  addition  to  this  their  Ethio- 
pian escort  had  quarrelled  with  the  natives  of  the  oasis, 
and  every  day  skirmishes  took  place  under  their  eyes — 
indeed  lately  one  of  these  fights  had  ended  in  blood- 
shed. 

Bent-Anat  was  sick  at  heart.  The  two  strong  pinions 
of  her  soul,  which  had  always  borne  her  so  high  above 
other  women — her  princely  pride  and  her  bright  frank- 
ness— seemed  quite  broken  ;  she  felt  that  she  had  loved 
once,  never  to  love  again,  and  that  she,  who  had  sought 
none  of  her  happiness  in  dreams,  but  all  in  work,  had  be- 
stowed the  best  half  of  her  identity  on  a  vision.  Pen- 
taur's  image  took  a  more  and  more  vivid,  and  at  the 
same  time  nobler  and  loftier,  aspect  in  her  mind ;  but 
he  himself  had  died  for  her,  for  only  once  had  a  letter 
reached  them  from  Egypt,  and  that  was  from  Katuti 
to  Nefert.  After  telling  her  that  late  intelligence  estab- 
lished the  statement  that  her  husband  had  taken  a 
prince's  daughter,  who  had  been  made  prisoner,  to  his 
tent  as  his  share  of  the  booty,  she  added  the  information 
that  the  poet  Pentaur,  who  had  been  condemned  to 
forced  labor,  had  not  reached  the  mountain  mines,  but, 
as  was  supposed,  had  perished  on  the  road. 
33 


170  UARDA. 

Nefert  still  held  to  her  immovable  belief  that  her 
husband  was  faithful  to  his  love  for  her,  and  the  magic 
charm  of  a  nature  made  beautiful  by  its  perfect  mastery 
over  a  deep  and  pure  passion  made  itself  felt  in  these 
sad  and  heavy  days. 

It  seemed  as  though  she  had  changed  parts  with 
Bent-Anat.  Always  hopeful,  every  day  she  foretold 
help  from  the  king  for  the  next;  in  truth  she  was  ready 
to  believe  that,  when  Mena  learned  from  Rameri  that 
she  was  with  the  princess,  he  himself  would  come  to 
fetch  them  if  his  duties  allowed  it.  In  her  hours  of 
most  lively  expectation  she  could  go  so  far  as  to  picture 
how  the  party  in  the  tents  would  be  divided,  and  who 
would  bear  Bent-Anat  company  if  Mena  took  her  with 
him  to  his  camp,  on  what  spot  of  the  oasis  it  would  be 
best  to  pitch  it,  and  much  more  in  the  same  vein. 

Uarda  could  very  well  take  her  place  with  Bent- 
Anat,  for  the  child  had  developed  and  improved  on  the 
journey.  The  rich  clothes  which  the  princess  had  given 
her  became  her  as  if  she  had  never  worn  any  others ; 
she  could  obey  discreetly,  disappear  at  the  right  moment, 
and,  when  she  was  invited,  chatter  delightfully.  Her 
laugh  was  silvery,  and  nothing  consoled  Bent-Anat  so 
much  as  to  hear  it. 

Her  songs  too  pleased  the  two  friends,  though  the 
few  that  she  knew  were  grave  and  sorrowful.  She  had 
learned  them  by  listening  to  old  Hekt,  who  often  used 
to  play  on  a  lute  in  the  dusk,  and  who,  when  she  per- 
ceived that  Uarda  caught  the  melodies,  had  pointed  out 
her  faults,  and  given  her  advice. 

"  She  may  some  day  come  into  my  hands,"  thought 
the  witch,  "  and  the  better  she  sings,  the  better  she  will 
be  paid." 


UARDA.  171 

Bent-Anat  too  tried  to  teach  Uarda,  but  learning  to 
read  was  not  easy  to  the  girl,  however  much  pains  she 
might  take.  Nevertheless,  the  princess  would  not  give 
up  the  spelling,  for  here,  at  the  foot  of  the  immense 
sacred  mountain  at  whose  summit  she  gazed  with  mixed 
horror  and  longing,  she  was  condemned  to  inactivity, 
which  weighed  the  more  heavily  on  her  in  proportion 
as  those  feelings  had  to  be  kept  to  herself  which  she 
longed  to  escape  from  in  work.  Uarda  knew  the  origin 
of  her  mistress's  deep  grief,  and  revered  her  for  it,  as 
if  it  were  something  sacred.  Often  she  would  speak 
of  Pentaur  and  of  his  father,  and  always  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  princess  could  not  guess  that  she  knew 
of  their  love. 

When  the  prisoners  were  passing  Bent  Anat's  tent, 
she  was  sitting  within  with  Nefert,  and  talking,  as  had 
become  habitual  in  the  hours  of  dusk,  of  her  father,  of 
Mena,  Rameri,  and  Pentaur. 

"  He  is  still  alive,"  asserted  Nefert.  "  My  mother, 
you  see,  says  that  no  one  knows  with  certainty  what 
became  of  him.  If  he  escaped,  he  beyond  a  doubt  tried 
to  reach  the  king's  camp,  and  when  we  get  there  you 
will  find  him  with  your  father." 

The  princess  looked  sadly  at  the  ground. 

Nefert  looked  affectionately  at  her,  and  asked : 

"  Are  you  thinking  of  the  difference  in  rank  which 
parts  you  from  the  man  you  have  chosen  ?" 

"  The  man  to  whom  I  offer  my  hand,  I  put  in  the 
rank  of  a  prince,"  said  Bent-Anat.  "  But  if  I  could  set 
Pentaur  on  a  throne,  as  master  of  the  world,  he  would 
still  be  greater  and  better  than  I." 

"  But  your  father  ?"  asked  Nefert  doubtfully. 

"  He  is  my  friend,  he  will  listen  to  me  and  under- 


172  UARDA. 

stand  me.  He  shall  know  everything  when  I  see  him; 
I  know  his  noble  and  loving  heart." 

Both  were  silent  for  some  time;  then  Bent-Anat 
spoke : 

"  Pray  have  lights  brought,  I  want  to  finish  my 
weaving." 

Nefert  rose,  went  to  the  door  of  the  tent,  and  there 
met  Uarda;  she  seized  Nefert's  hand,  and  silently  drew 
her  out  into  the  air. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  child  ?  you  are  trembling," 
Nefert  exclaimed. 

"  My  father  is  here,"  answered  Uarda  hastily.  "  He 
is  escorting  some  prisoners  from  the  mines  of  Mafkat. 
Among  them  there  are  two  chained  together,  and  one  of 
them — do  not  be  startled — one  of  them  is  the  poet  Pen- 
taur.  Stop,  for  God's  sake,  stop,  and  hear  me.  Twice 
before  I  have  seen  my  father  when  he  has  been  here  with 
convicts.  To-day  we  must  rescue  Pentaur;  but  the 
princess  must  know  nothing  of  it,  for  if  my  plan  fails — " 

"Child!  girl!"  interrupted  Nefert  eagerly.  "How 
can  I  help  you  ?" 

"  Order  the  steward  to  give  the  drivers  of  the  gang 
a  skin  of  wine  in  the  name  of  the  princess,  and  out  of 
Bent-Anat's  case  of  medicines  take  the  phial  which  con- 
tains the  sleeping  draught,  which,  in  spite  of  your  wish, 
she  will  not  take.  I  will  wait  here,  and  I  know  how  to 
use  it." 

Nefert  immediately  found  the  steward,  and  ordered 
him  to  follow  Uarda  with  a  skin  of  wine.  Then  she 
went  back  to  the  princess's  tent,  and  opened  the  medi- 
cine case.* 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Bent-Anat. 

*  A  medicine  case,  belonging  to  a  more  ancient  period  than  the  reign  of  Ra- 
meses,  is  preserved  in  the  Berlin  Museum. 


UARDA.  173 

"A  remedy  for  palpitation,"  replied  Nefert;  she 
quietly  took  the  flask  she  needed,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes put  it  into  Uarda's  hand. 

The  girl  asked  the  steward  to  open  the  wine-skin, 
and  let  her  taste  the  liquor.  While  she  pretended  to 
drink  it,  she  poured  the  whole  contents  of  the  phial 
into  the  wine,  and  then  let  Bent-Anat's  bountiful  pre- 
sent be  carried  to  the  thirsty  drivers. 

She  herself  went  towards  the  kitchen  tent,  and 
found  a  young  Amalekite  sitting  on  the  ground  with 
the  princess's  servants.  He  sprang  up  as  soon  as  he 
saw  the  damsel. 

"  I  have  brought  four  fine  partridges,"*  he  said, 
"  which  I  snared  myself,  and  I  have  brought  this  tur- 
quoise for  you — my  brother  found  it  in  a  rock.  This 
stone  brings  good  luck,  and  is  good  for  the  eyes ;  it 
gives  victory  over  our  enemies,  and  keeps  away  bad 
dreams."** 

"  Thank  you  !"  said  Uarda,  and  taking  the  boy's 
hand,  as  he  gave  her  the  sky-blue  stone,  she  led  him 
forward  into  the  dusk. 

"  Listen,  Salich — "  she  said  softly,  as  soon  as  she 
thought  they  were  far  enough  from  the  others.  "  You 
are  a  good  boy,  and  the  maids  told  me  that  you  said 
I  was  a  star  that  had  come  down  from  the  sky  to  be- 
come a  woman.  No  one  says  such  a  thing  as  that  of 
any  one  they  do  not  like  very  much ;  and  I  know  you 
like  me,  for  you  show  me  that  you  do  every  day  by 

*  A  brook  springs  on  the  peak  called  by  the  Sinaitic  monks  Mt.  St.  Katha- 
rine, which  is  called  the  partridge's  spring,  and  of  which  many  legends  are 
told.  For  instance,  God  created  it  for  the  partridges  which  accompanied  the 
angels  who  carried  St.  Katharine  of  Alexandria  to  her  tomb  on  Sinai. 

**  The  turquoises  of  Serbal  are  finer  and  bluer  than  those  of  Wadi 
Maghara.  The  Arabs  to  this  day  believe  in  the  happy  influences  of  the  tur- 
quoise. 


174  UARDA. 

bringing  me  flowers,  when  you  carry  the  game  that 
your  father  gets  to  the  steward.  Tell  me,  will  you  do 
me  and  the  princess  too  a  very  great  service  ?  Yes  ? 
— and  willingly  ?  Yes  ?  I  knew  you  would  !  Now 
listen.  A  friend  of  the  great  lady  Bent-Anat,  who  will 
come  here  to-night,  must  be  hidden  for  a  day,  perhaps 
several  days,  from  his  pursuers.  Can  he,  or  rather  can 
they,  for  there  will  probably  be  two,  find  shelter  and 
protection  in  your  father's  house,  which  lies  high  up 
there  on  the  sacred  mountain  ?" 

"  Whoever  I  take  to  my  father,"  said  the  boy,  "  will 
be  made  welcome ;  and  we  defend  our  guests  first,  and 
then  ourselves.  Where  are  the  strangers  ?" 

"  They  will  arrive  in  a  few  hours.  Will  you  wait 
here  till  the  moon  is  well  up  ?" 

"  Till  the  last  of  all  the  thousand  moons  that  vanish 
behind  the  hills  is  set." 

"  Well  then,  wait  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream, 
and  conduct  the  man  to  your  house,  who  repeats  my 
name  three  times.  You  know  my  name  ?" 

"  I  call  you  Silver-star,  but  the  others  call  you 
Uarda." 

"  Lead  the  strangers  to  your  hut,  and,  if  they  are 
received  there  by  your  father,  come  back  and  tell  me. 
I  will  watch  for  you  here  at  the  door  of  the  tent.  I 
am  poor,  alas !  and  cannot  reward  you,  but  the  prin- 
cess will  thank  your  father  as  a  princess  should.  Be 
watchful,  Salich !" 

The  girl  vanished,  and  went  to  the  drivers  of  the 
gang  of  prisoners,  wished  them  a  merry  and  pleasant 
evening,  and  then  hastened  back  to  Bent-Anat,  who 
anxiously  stroked  her  abundant  hair,,  and  asked  her 
why  she  was  so  pale. 


UARDA.  175 

"  Lie  down,"  said  the  princess  kindly,  "  you  are 
feverish.  Only  look,  Nefert,  I  can  see  the  blood  cours- 
ing through  the  blue  veins  in  her  forehead." 

Meanwhile  the  drivers  drank,  praised  the  royal 
wine,  and  the  lucky  day  on  which  they  drank  it;  and 
when  Uarda's  father  suggested  that  the  prisoners  too 
should  have  a  mouthful  one  of  his  fellow  soldiers  cried: 
"  Aye,  let  the  poor  beasts  be  jolly  too  for  once." 

The  red-beard  filled  a  large  beaker,  and  offered  it 
first  to  a  forger  and  his  fettered  companion,  then  he 
approached  Pentaur,  and  whispered — 

"  Do  not  drink  any — keep  awake  !" 

As  he  was  going  to  warn  the  physician  too,  one  of 
his  companions  came  between  them,  and  offering  his 
tankard  to  Nebsecht  said : 

"  Here  mumbler,  drink ;  see  him  pull !  His  stutter- 
ing mouth  is  spry  enough  for  drinking !" 


176  UARDA. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 


THE  hours  passed  gaily  with  the  drinkers,  then  they 
grew  more  and  more  sleepy. 

Ere  the  moon  was  high  in  the  heavens,  while  they 
were  all  sleeping,  with  the  exception  of  Kaschta  and 
Pentaur,  the  soldier  rose  softly.  He  listened  to  the 
breathing  of  his  companions,  then  he  approached  the 
poet,  unfastened  the  ring  which  fettered  his  ankle  to 
that  of  Nebsecht,  and  endeavored  to  wake  the  physi- 
cian, but  in  vain. 

"  Follow  me !"  cried  he  to  the  poet ;  he  took  Neb- 
secht on  his  shoulders,  and  went  towards  the  spot  near 
the  stream  which  Uarda  had  indicated.  Three  times 
he  called  his  daughter's  name,  the  young  Amalekite  ap- 
peared, and  the  soldier  said  decidedly :  "  Follow  this 
man,  I  will  take  care  of  Nebsecht." 

"  I  will  not  leave  him,"  said  Pentaur.  "  Perhaps 
water  will  wake  him." 

They  plunged  him  in  the  brook,  which  half  woke 
him,  and  by  the  help  of  his  companions,  who  now 
pushed  and  now  dragged  him,  he  staggered  and 
stumbled  up  the  rugged  mountain  path,  and  before 
midnight  they  reached  their  destination,  the  hut  of  the 
Amalekite. 


UARDA.  177 

The  old  hunter  was  asleep,  but  his  son  aroused 
him,  and  told  him  what  Uarda  had  ordered  and  prom- 
ised. 

But  no  promises  were  needed  to  incite  the  worthy 
mountaineer  to  hospitality.  He  received  the  poet  with 
genuine  friendliness,  laid  the  sleeping  leech  on  a  mat, 
prepared  a  couch  for  Pentaur  of  leaves  and  skins, 
called  his  daughter  to  wash  his  feet,  and  offered  him 
his  own  holiday  garment  in  the  place  of  the  rags  that 
covered  his  body. 

Pentaur  stretched  himself  out  on  the  humble  couch, 
which  to  him  seemed  softer  than  the  silken  bed  of  a 
queen,  but  on  which  nevertheless  he  could  not  sleep, 
for  the  thoughts  and  fancies  that  filled  his  heart  were 
too  overpowering  and  bewildering. 

The  stars  still  sparkled  in  the  heavens  when  he 
sprang  from  his  bed  of  skins,  lifted  Nebsecht  on  to  it, 
and  rushed  out  into  the  open  air.  A  fresh  mountain 
spring  flowed  close  to  the  hunter's  hut.  He  went  to 
it,  and  bathed  his  face  in  the  ice-cold  water,  and  let 
it  flow  over  his  body  and  limbs.  He  felt  as  if  he  must 
cleanse  himself  to  his  very  soul,  not  only  from  the 
dust  of  many  weeks,  but  from  the  rebellion  and  de- 
spondency, the  ignominy  and  bitterness,  and  the  con- 
tact with  vice  and  degradation. 

When  at  last  he  left  the  spring,  and  returned  to 
the  little  house,  he  felt  clean  and  fresh  as  on  the 
morning  of  a  feast-day  at  the  temple  of  Seti,  when  he 
had  bathed  and  dressed  himself  in  robes  of  snow- 
white  linen.  He  took  the  hunter's  holiday  dress,  put 
it  on,  and  went  out  of  doors  again. 

The   enormous  masses   of   rock  lay  dimly   before- 


178  TJARDA. 

him,  like  storm-clouds,  and  over  his  head  spread  the 
blue  heavens  with  their  thousand  stars. 

The  soothing  sense  of  freedom  and  purity  raised 
his  soul,  and  the  air  that  he  breathed  was  so  fresh 
and  light,  that  he  sprang  up  the  path  to  the  summit  of 
the  peak  as  if  he  were  borne  on  wings  or  carried  by 
invisible  hands. 

A  mountain  goat  which  met  him,  turned  from  him, 
and  fled  bleating,  with  his  mate,  to  a  steep  peak  of 
rock,  but  Pentaur  said  to  the  frightened  beasts : 

"  I  shall  do  nothing  to  you — not  I." 

He  paused  on  a  little  plateau  at  the  foot  of  the 
jagged  granite  peak  of  the  mountain.  Here  again  he 
heard  the  murmur  of  a  spring,  the  grass  under  his  feet 
was  damp,  and  covered  with  a  film  of  ice,  in  which 
were  mirrored  the  stars,  now  gradually  fading.  He 
looked  up  at  the  lights  in  the  sky,  those  never-tarrying, 
and  yet  motionless  wanderers — away,  to  the  mountain 
heights  around  him — down,  into  the  gorge  below — 
and  far  off,  into  the  distance. 

The  dusk  slowly  grew  into  light,  the  mysterious 
forms  of  the  mountain-chain  took  shape  and  stood  up 
with  their  shining  points,  the  light  clouds  were  swept 
away  like  smoke.  Thin  vapors  rose  from  the  oasis 
and  the  other  valleys  at  his  feet,  at  first  in  heavy 
masses,  then  they  parted  and  were  wafted,  as  if  in 
sport,  above  and  beyond  him  to  the  sky.  Far  below 
him  soared  a  large  eagle,  the  only  living  creature  far  or 
near. 

A  solemn  and  utter  silence  surrounded  him,  and 
when  the  eagle  swooped  down  and  vanished  from  his 
sight,  and  the  mist  rolled  lower  into  the  valley,  he  felt 


UARDA.  179 

that  here,  alone,  he  was  high  above  all  other  living 
beings,  and  standing  nearer  to  the  Divinity. 

He  drew  his  breath  fully  and  deeply,  he  felt  as  he 
had  felt  in  the  first  hours  after  his  initiation,  when  for 
the  first  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  holy  of  holies 
— and  yet  quite  different. 

Instead  of  the  atmosphere  loaded  with  incense,  he 
breathed  a  light  pure  air;  and  the  deep  stillness  of  the 
mountain  solitude  possessed  his  soul  more  strongly 
than  the  chant  of  the  priests. 

Here,  it  seemed  to  him,  that  the  Divine  being 
would  hear  the  lightest  murmur  of  his  lips,  though 
indeed  his  heart  was  so  full  of  gratitude  and  devotion 
that  his  impulse  was  to  give  expression  to  his  mighty 
flow  of  feelings  in  jubilant  song.  But  his  tongue 
seemed  tied ;  he  knelt  down  in  silence,  to  pray  and  to 
praise. 

Then  he  looked  at  the  panorama  round  him. 

Where  was  the  east  which  in  Egypt  was  clearly  de- 
fined by  the  long  Nile  range  ?  Down  there  where  it 
was  beginning  to  be  light  over  the  oasis.  To  his  right 
hand  lay  the  south,  the  sacred  birth-place  of  the  Nile, 
the  home  of  the  Gods  of  the  Cataracts;  but  here 
flowed  no  mighty  stream,  and  where  was  there  a  shrine 
for  the  visible  manifestation  of  Osiris  and  Isis ;  of 
Horus,  born  of  a  lotus  flower  in  a  thicket  of  papyrus ; 
of  Rennut,  the  Goddess  of  blessings,  and  of  Zefa  ?  To 
which  of  them  could  he  here  lift  his  hands  in  prayer  ? 

A  faint  breeze  swept  by,  the  mist  vanished  like  a 
restless  shade  at  the  word  of  the  exorcist,  the  many- 
pointed  crown  of  Sinai  stood  out  in  sharp  relief,  and 
below  them  the  winding  valleys,  and  the  dark  colored 
rippling  surface  of  the  lake,  became  distinctly  visible. 


l8o  UARDA. 

All  was  silent,  all  untouched  by  the  hand  of  man 
yet  harmonized  to  one  great  and  glorious  whole,  subject 
to  all  the  laws  of  the  universe,  pervaded  and  filled  by 
the  Divinity. 

He  would  fain  have  raised  his  hand  in  thanks- 
giving to  Apheru,  "  the  Guide  on  the  way ;"  but  he 
dared  not;  and  how  infinitely  small  did  the  Gods  now 
seem  to  him,  the  Gods  he  had  so  often  glorified  to 
the  multitude  in  inspired  words,  the  Gods  that  had  no 
meaning,  no  dwelling-place,  no  dominion  but  by  the 
Nile. 

"  To  ye,"  he  murmured,  "  I  cannot  pray !  Here 
where  my  eye  can  pierce  the  distance,  as  if  I  myself 
were  a  god — here  I  feel  the  presence  of  the  One,  here 
He  is  near  me  and  with  me — I  will  call  upon  Him 
and  praise  him !" 

And  throwing  up  his  arms  he  cried  aloud  :  "  Thou 
only  One!  Thou  only  One!  Thou  only  One!"  He 
said  no  more ;  but  a  tide  of  song  welled  up  in  his 
breast  as  he  spoke — a  flood  of  thankfulness  and  praise. 

When  he  rose  from  his  knees,  a  man  was  standing 
by  him ;  his  eyes  were  piercing  and  his  tall  figure  had 
the  dignity  of  a  king,  in  spite  of  his  herdsman's  dress. 

"  It  is  well  for  you !"  said  the  stranger  in  deep 
slow  accents.  "  You  seek  the  true  God." 

Pentaur  looked  steadily  into  the  face  of  the  bearded 
man  before  him. 

"  I  know  you  now,"  he  said.  "You  are  Mesu.*  I 
was  but  a  boy  when  you  left  the  temple  of  Seti,  but 
your  features  are  stamped  on  my  soul.  Ameni  initiated 
me,  as  well  as  you,  into  the  knowledge  of  the  One 
God." 

*  Moses. 


UARDA.  l8l 

"  He  knows  Him  not,"  answered  the  other,  looking 
thoughtfully  to  the  eastern  horizon,  which  every  mo- 
ment grew  brighter. 

The  heavens  glowed  with  purple,  and  the  granite 
peaks,  each  sheathed  in  a  film  of  ice,  sparkled  and 
shone  like  dark  diamonds  that  had  been  dipped  in 
light. 

The  day-star  rose,  and  Pentaur  turned  to  it,  and 
prostrated  himself  as  his  custom  was.  When  he  rose, 
Mesu  also  was  kneeling  on  the  earth,  but  his  back  was 
turned  to  the  sun. 

When  he  had  ended  his  prayer,  Pentaur  said : 
"  Why  do  you  turn  your  back  on  the  manifestation  of 
the  Sun-god  ?  We  were  taught  to  look  towards  him 
when  he  approaches." 

"  Because  I,"  said  his  grave  companion,  "  pray  to 
another  God  than  yours.  The  sun  and  stars  are  but 
as  toys  in  his  hand,  the  earth  is  his  foot-stool,  the 
storm  is  his  breath,  and  the  sea  is  in  his  sight  as  the 
drops  on  the  grass." 

"  Teach  me  to  know  the  Mighty  One  whom  you 
worship !"  exclaimed  Pentaur. 

"Seek  him,"  said  Mesu,  "and  you  will  find  him; 
for  you  have  passed  through  misery  and  suffering,  and 
on  this  spot  on  such  a  morning  as  this  was  He  revealed 
to  me." 

The  stranger  turned  away,  and  disappeared  behind 
a  rock  from  the  enquiring  gaze  of  Pentaur,  who  fixed 
his  eyes  on  the  distance. 

Then  he  thoughtfully  descended  the  valley,  and 
went  towards  the  hut  of  the  hunter.  He  stayed  his 
steps  when  he  heard  men's  voices,  but  the  rocks  hid 
the  speakers  from  his  sight. 


1 82  UARDA. 

Presently  he  saw  the  party  approaching ;  the  son  of 
his  host,  a  man  in  Egyptian  dress,  a  lady  of  tall  stat- 
ure, near  whom  a  girl  tripped  lightly,  and  another 
carried  in  a  litter  by  slaves. 

Pentaur's  heart  beat  wildly,  for  he  recognized  Bent- 
Anat  and  her  companions.  They  disappeared  by  the 
hunter's  cottage,  but  he  stood  still,  breathing  painfully, 
spell-bound  to  the  cliff  by  which  he  stood — a  long, 
long  time — and  did  not  stir. 

He  did  not  hear  a  light  step,  that  came  near  to 
him,  and  died  away  again,  he  did  not  feel  that  the 
sun  began  to  cast  fierce  beams  on  him,  and  on  the 
porphyry  cliff  behind  him,  he  did  not  see  a  woman 
now  coming  quickly  towards  him ;  but,  like  a  deaf  man 
who  has  suddenly  acquired  the  sense  of  hearing,  he 
started  when  he  heard  his  name  spoken — by  whose 
lips  ? 

"  Pentaur !"  she  said  again ;  the  poet  opened  his 
arms,  and  Bent-Anat  fell  upon  his  breast;  and  he  held 
her  to  him,  clasped,  as  though  he  must  hold  her  there 
and  never  part  from  her  all  his  life  long. 

Meanwhile  the  princess's  companions  were  resting 
by  the  hunter's  little  house. 

"She  flew  into  his  arms — I  saw  it,"  said  Uarda. 
"  Never  shall  I  forget  it.  It  was  as  if  the  bright  lake 
there  had  risen  up  to  embrace  the  mountain." 

"Where  do  you  find  such  fancies,  child?"  cried 
Nefert. 

"  In  my  heart,  deep  in  my  heart !"  cried  Uarda.  "  I 
am  so  unspeakably  happy." 

"  You  saved  him  and  rewarded  him  for  his  good- 
ness ;  you  may  well  be  happy." 


UARDA.  183 

"It  is  not  only  that,"  said  Uarda.  "  I  was  in  despair, 
and  now  I  see  that  the  Gods  are  righteous  and  loving." 

Mena's  wife  nodded  to  her,  and  said  with  a  sigh : 

"  They  are  both  happy  !" 

"  And  they  deserve  to  be  !"  exclaimed  Uarda.  "  I 
fancy  the  Goddess  of  Truth  is  like  Bent-Anat,  and 
there  is  not  another  man  in  Egypt  like  Pentaur." 

Nefert  was  silent  for  awhile ;  then  she  asked  softly  : 
"  Did  you  ever  see  Mena  ?" 

"  How  should  I  ?"  replied  the  girl.  "  Wait  a  little 
while,  and  your  turn  will  come.  I  believe  that  to-day 
I  can  read  the  future  like  a  prophetess.  But  let  us 
see  if  Nebsecht  lies  there,  and  is  still  asleep.  The 
draught  I  put  into  the  wine  must  have  been  strong." 

"  It  was,"  answered  Nefert,  following  her  into  the 
hut. 

The  physician  was  still  lying  on  the  bed,  and  sleep- 
ing with  his  mouth  wide  open.  Uarda  knelt  down  by 
his  side,  looked  in  his  face,  and  said:. 

"  He  is  clever  and  knows  everything,  but  how  silly 
he  looks  now!  I  will  wake  him." 

She  pulled  a  blade  of  grass  out  of  the  heap  on 
which  he  was  lying,  and  saucily  tickled  his  nose. 

Nebsecht  raised  himself,  sneezed,  but  fell  back 
asleep  again;  Uarda  laughed  out  with  her  clear  silvery 
tones.  Then  she  blushed — "  That  is  not  right,"  she 
said,  "  for  he  is  good  and  generous." 

She  took  the  sleeper's  hand,  pressed  it  to  her  lips, 
and  wiped  the  drops  from  his  brow.  Then  he  awoke, 
opened  his  eyes,  and  muttered  half  in  a  dream  still : 

"  Uarda — sweet  Uarda." 

The  girl  started  up  and  fled,  and  Nefert  followed 
her. 


184  UARDA. 

When  Nebsecht  at  last  got  upon  his  feet  and  looked 
round  him,  he  found  himself  alone  in  a  strange  house. 
He  went  out  of  doors,  where  he  found  Bent-Anat's 
little  train  anxiously  discussing  things  past  and  to 
come. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

THE  inhabitants  of  the  oasis  had  for  centuries  been 
subject  to  the  Pharaohs,  and  paid  them  tribute ;  and 
among  the  rights  granted  to  them  in  return,  no  Egyp- 
tian soldier  might  cross  their  border  and  territory 
without  their  permission. 

The  Ethiopians  had  therefore  pitched  Bent-Anat's 
tents  and  their  own  camp  outside  these  limits  ;  but 
various  transactions  soon  took  place  between  the  idle 
warriors  and  the  Amalekites,  which  now  and  then  led 
to  quarrels,  and  which  one  evening  threatened  serious 
consequences,  when  some  drunken  soldiers  had  an- 
noyed the  Amalekite  women  while  they  were  drawing 
water. 

This  morning  early  one  of  the  drivers  on  awaking 
had  missed  Pentaur  and  Nebsecht,  and  he  roused  his 
comrades,  who  had  been  rejoined  by  Uarda's  father. 
The  enraged  guard  of  the  gang  of  prisoners  hastened 
to  the  commandant  of  the  Ethiopians,  and  informed 
him  that  two  of  his  prisoners  had  escaped,  and  were 
no  doubt  being  kept  in  concealment  by  the  Amale- 
kites. 

The  Amalekites  met  the  requisition  to  surrender 
the  fugitives,  of  whom  they  knew  nothing,  with  words 
of  mockery,  which  so  enraged  the  officer  that  he  deter- 


UARDA.  185 

mined  to  search  the  oasis  throughout  by  force,  and 
when  he  found  his  emissaries  treated  with  scorn  he 
advanced  with  the  larger  part  of  his  troops  on  to  the 
free  territory  of  the  Amalekites. 

•x  The  sons  of  the  desert  flew  to  arms ;  they  retired 
before  the  close  order  of  the  Egyptian  troops,  who 
followed  them,  confident  of  victory,  to  a  point  where 
the  valley  widens  and  divides  on  each  side  of  a  rocky 
hill.*  Behind  this  the  larger  part  of  the  Amalekite  forces 
were  lying  in  ambush,  and  as  soon  as  the  unsuspicious 
Ethiopians  had  marched  past  the  hill,  they  threw  them- 
selves on  the  rear  of  the  astonished  invaders,  while 
those  in  front  turned  upon  them,  and  flung  lances  and 
arrows  at  the  soldiers,  of  whom  very  few  escaped. 

Among  them,  however,  was  the  commanding  officer, 
who,  foaming  with  rage  and  only  slightly  wounded,  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  remainder  of  Bent-Anat's 
body-guard,  ordered  the  escort  of  the  prisoners  also  to 
follow  him,  and  once  more  advanced  into  the  oasis. 

That  the  princess  might  escape  him  had  never  for 
an  instant  occurred  to  him,  but  as  soon  as  the  last  of 
her  keepers  had  disappeared,  Bent-Anat  explained  1o 
her  chamberlain  and  her  companions  that  now  or  never 
was  the  moment  to  fly. 

All  her  people  were  devoted  to  her;  they  loaded 
themselves  with  the  most  necessary  things  for  daily  use, 
took  the  litters  and  beasts  ot  burden  with  them,  and 
while  the  battle  was  raging  in  the  valley,  Salich  guided 
them  up  the  heights  of  Sinai  to  his  father's  house. 

It  was  on  the  way  thither  that  Uarda  had  prepared 
the  princess  for  the  meeting  she  might  expect  at  the 

*  The  modem  hill  of  Mcharret  with  the  ruins  of  the  church  of  the  See  of 
Pharan.  - . 


186  UARDA. 

hunter's  cottage,  and  we  have  seen  how  and  where  the 
princess  found  the  poet. 

Hand  in  hand  they  wandered  together  along  the 
mountain  path  till  they  came  to  a  spot  shaded  by  a 
projection  of  the  rock;  Pentaur  pulled  some  moss  to 
make  a  seat,  they  reclined  on  it  side  by  side,  and  there 
opened  their  hearts,  and  told  each  other  of  their  love 
and  of  their  sufferings,  their  wanderings  and  escapes. 

At  noonday  the  hunter's  daughter  came  to  offer 
them  a  pitcher  full  of  goat's  milk,  and  Bent-Anat  filled 
the  gourd  again  and  again  for  the  man  she  loved;  and 
waiting  upon  him  thus,  her  heart  overflowed  with  pride, 
and  his  with  the  humble  desire  to  be  permitted  to 
sacrifice  his  blood  and  life  for  her. 

Hitherto  they  had  been  so  absorbed  in  the  present 
and  the  past,  that  they  had  not  given  a  thought  to  the 
future,  and  while  they  repeated  a  hundred  times  what 
each  had  long  since  known,  and  yet  could  never  tire  of 
hearing,  they  forgot  the  immediate  danger  which  was 
hanging  over  them. 

After  their  humble  meal,  the  surging  flood  of  feeling 
which,  ever  since  his  mornin  g  devotions,  had  overwhelmed 
the  poet's  soul,  grew  calmer;  he  had  felt  as  if  borne 
through  the  air,  but  now  he  set  foot,  so  to  speak,  on  the 
earth  again,  and  seriously  considered  with  Bent-Anat 
what  steps  they  must  take  in  the  immediate  future. 

The  light  of  joy,  which  beamed  in  their  eyes,  was 
little  in  accordance  with  the  grave  consultation  they 
held,  as,  hand  in  hand,  they  descended  to  the  hut  of 
their  humble  host. 

The  hunter,  guided  by  his  daughter,  met  them 
halfway,  and  with  him  a  tall  and  dignified  man  in  the 
full  armor  of  a  chief  of  the  Amalekites. 


UARDA.  187 

Both  bowed  and  kissed  the  earth  before  Bent-Anat 
and  Pentaur.  They  had  heard  that  the  princess  was 
detained  in  the  oasis  by  force  by  the  Ethiopian  troops, 
and  the  desert-prince,  Abocharabos,*  now  informed 
them,  not  without  pride,  that  the  Ethiopian  soldiers,  all 
but  a  few  who  were  his  prisoners,  had  been  exterminated 
by  his  people;  at  the  same  time  he  assured  Pentaur, 
whom  he  supposed  to  be  a  son  of  the  king,  and  Bent- 
Anat,  that  he  and  his  were  entirely  devoted  to  the  Pha- 
raoh Rameses,  who  had  always  respected  their  rights. 

"They  are  accustomed,"  he  added,  "to  fight  against 
the  cowardly  dogs  of  Kush;  but  we  are  men,  and  we 
can  fight  like  the  lions  of  our  wilds.  If  we  are  outnum- 
bered we  hide  like  the  goats  in  clefts  of  the  rocks." 

Bent-Anat,  who  was  pleased  with  the  daring  man, 
his  flashing  eyes,  his  aquiline  nose,  and  his  brown  face 
which  bore  the  mark  of  a  bloody  sword-cut,  promised 
him  to  commend  him  and  his  people  to  her  father's 
favor,  and  told  him  of  her  desire  to  proceed  as  soon  as 
possible  to  the  king's  camp  under  the  protection  of 
Pentaur,  her  future  husband. 

The  mountain  chief  had  gazed  attentively  at  Pen- 
taur and  at  Bent-Anat  while  she  spoke;  then  he  said: 

"Thou,  princess,  art  like  the  moon,  and  thy  com- 
panion is  like  the  Sun-god  Dusare.  Besides  Abocha- 
rabos," and  he  struck  his  breast,  "  and  his  wife,  I  know 
no  pair  that  are  like  you  two.  I  myself  will  conduct 
you  to  Hebron  with  some  of  my  best  men  of  war. 

*  This  name  is  genuine,  for  according  to  Procopins  the  Saracen  chief  Abo- 
charabos gave  the  palm-grove  on  the  Sinai  peninsular  to  Justinian.  In  the 
manuscripts  it  is  Abocharagos ;  but  Ttich  has  changed  ihis,  undoubtedly  with 
good  reason  to  Abocharabos.  The  inhabitants  of  this  country,  called  Mentu 
by  the  Egyptians,  were  in  early  times  Sabeans,  that  is,  worshippers  of  the  heav- 
enly bodies  We  learn  this  with  certainty  from  the  inscriptions  deciphered  by 
Beer,  where  the  authors  of  the  records  call  themselves  ••servants,"  "fearers," 
or  '  priests"  of  the  Sun,  of  Baal,  etc.  The  Sun-god  was  called  Dusare. 
The  earliest  of  these  inscriptions  dates  from  the  21!  century  1).  C. 


i88  UARDA. 

But  haste  will  be  necessary,  for  I  must  be  back  before 
the  traitor  who  now  rules  over  Mizraim,*  and  who  per- 
secutes you,  can  send  fresh  forces  against  us.  Now  you 
can  go  down  again  to  the  tents,  not  a  hen  is  missing. 
To-morrow  before  daybreak  we  will  be  off." 

At  the  door  of  the  hut  Pentaur  was  greeted  by  the 
princess's  companions. 

The  chamberlain  looked  at  him  not  without  anxious 
misgiving. 

The  king,  when  he  departed,  had,  it  is  true,  given 
him  orders  to  obey  Bent-Anat  in  every  particular,  as  if 
she  were  the  queen  herself;  but  her  choice  of  such  a 
husband  was  a  thing  unheard  of,  and  how  would  the 
king  take  it  ? 

Nefert  rejoiced  in  the  splendid  person  of  the  poet, 
and  frequently  repeated  that  he  was  as  like  her  dead 
uncle — the  father  of  Paaker,  the  chief-pioneer — as  if 
he  were  his  younger  brother. 

Uarda  never  wearied  of  contemplating  him  and  her 
beloved  princess.  She  no  longer  looked  upon  him  as  a 
being  of  a  higher  order;  but  the  happiness  of  the  noble 
pair  seemed  to  her  an  embodied  omen  of  happiness  for 
Nefert's  love — perhaps  too  for  her  own. 

Nebsecht  kept  modestly  in  the  background.  The 
headache,  from  which  he  had  long  been  suffering,  had 
disappeared  in  the  fresh  mountain  air.  When  Pentaur 
offered  him  his  hand  he  exclaimed  : 

"  Here  is  an  end  to  all  my  jokes  and  abuse  !  A  strange 
thing  is  this  fate  of  men.  Henceforth  I  shall  always 
have  the  worst  of  it  in  any  dispute  with  you,  for  all  the 
discords  of  your  life  have  been  very  prettily  resolved 
by  the  great  master  of  harmony,  to  whom  you  pray." 

*  The  Semitic  name  for  Egypt.. 


UARDA.  189 

"  You  speak  almost  as  if  you  were  sorry ;  but  every 
thing  will  turn  out  happily  for  you  too." 

"Hardly!"  replied  the  surgeon,  "for  now  I  see  it 
clearly.  Every  man  is  a  separate  instrument,  formed 
even  before  his  birth,  in  an  occult  workshop,  of  good  or 
bad  wood,  skilfully  or  unskilfully  made,  of  this  shape  or 
the  other;  every  thing  in  his  life,  no  matter  what  we  call 
it,  plays  upon  him,  and  the  instrument  sounds  for  good  or 
evil,  as  it  is  well  or  ill  made.  You  are  an  ^Eolian  harp 
— the  sound  is  delightful,  whatever  breath  of  fate  may 
touch  it ;  I  am  a  weather-cock — I  turn  whichever  way 
the  wind  blows,  and  try  to  point  right,  but  at  the  same 
time  I  creak,  so  that  it  hurts  my  own  ears  and  those  of 
other  people.  I  am  content  if  now  and  then  a  steersman 
may  set  his  sails  rightly  by  my  indication ;  though  after 
all,  it  is  all  the  same  to  me.  I  will  turn  round  and 
round,  whether  others  look  at  me  or  no — What  does 
it  signify  ?" 

When  Pentaur  and  the  princess  took  leave  of  the 
hunter  with  many  gifts,  the  sun  was  sinking,  and  the 
toothed  peaks  of  Sinai  glowed  like  rubies,  through 
which  shone  the  glow  of  half  a  world  on  fire. 

The  journey  to  the  royal  camp  was  begun  the  next 
morning.  Abocharabos,  the  Amalekite  chief,  accom- 
panied the  caravan,  to  which  Uarda's  father  also 
attached  himself;  he  had  been  taken  prisoner  in  the 
struggle  with  the  natives,  but  at  Bent-Anat's  request 
was  set  at  liberty. 

At  their  first  halting  place  he  was  commanded  to 
explain  how  he  had  succeeded  in  having  Pentaur  taken 
to  the  mines,  instead  of  to  the  quarries  of  Chennu. 

'•  I  knew,"  said  the  soldier  in  his  homely  way,  "from 


1 90  UARDA. 

Uarda  where  this  man,  who  had  risked  his  life  for  us 
poor  folks,  was  to  be  taken,  and  I  said  to  myself — I 
must  save  him.  But  thinking  is  not  my  trade,  and  I 
never  can  lay  a  plot.  It  would  very  likely  have  come 
to  some  violent  act,  that  would  have  ended  badly,  if  I 
had  not  had  a  hint  from  another  person,  even  before 
Uarda  told  me  of  what  threatened  Pentaur.  This  is 
how  it  was. 

"  I  was  to  convoy  the  prisoners,  who  were  con- 
demned to  work  in  the  Mafkat  mines,  across  the  river 
to  the  place  they  start  from.  In  the  harbor  of  Thebes, 
on  the  other  side,  the  poor  wretches  were  to  take  leave 
of  their  friends;  I  have  seen  it  a  hundred  times,  and  I 
never  can  get  used  to  it,  and  yet  one  can  get  hardened 
to  most  things !  Their  loud  cries,  and  wild  howls  are 
not  the  worst — those  that  scream  the  most  I  have  always 
found  are  the  first  to  get  used  to  their  fate;  but 'the 
pale  ones,  whose  lips  turn  white,  and  whose  teeth 
chatter  as  if  they  were  freezing,  and  whose  eyes  stare 
out  into  vacancy  without  any  tears — those  go  to  my 
heart.  There  was  all  the  usual  misery,  both  noisy  and 
silent.  But  the  man  I  was  most  sorry  for  was  one  I 
had  known  for  a  long  time ;  his  name  was  Huni,  and 
he  belonged  to  the  temple  of  Amon,  where  he  held  the 
place  of  overseer  of  the  attendants  on  the  sacred  goat. 
I  had  often  met  him  when  I  was  on  duty  to  watch  the 
laborers  who  were  completing  the  great  pillared  hall, 
and  he  was  respected  by  every  one,  and  never  failed 
in  his  duty.  Once,  however,  he  had  neglected  it;  it 
was  that  very  night  which  you  all  will  remember  when 
the  wolves  broke  into  the  temple,  and  tore  the  rams,  and 
the  sacred  heart  was  laid  in  the  breast  of  the  prophet 
Rui.  Some  one,  or  course,  must  be  punished,  and  it 


UARDA.  IQI 

fell  on  poor  Huni,  who  for  his  carelessness  was  con- 
demned to  forced  labor  in  the  mines  of  Maf  kat.  His 
successor  will  keep  a  sharp  look  out !  No  one  came 
to  see  him  off,  though  I  know  he  had  a  wife  and 
several  children.  He  was  as  pale  as  this  cloth,  and 
was  one  of  the  sort  whose  grief  eats  into  their  heart. 
I  went  up  to  him,  and  asked  him  why  no  one  came 
with  him.  He  had  taken  leave  of  them  at  home,  he 
answered,  that  his  children  might  not  see  him  mixed 
up  with  forgers  and  murderers.  Eight  poor  little  brats 
were  left  unprovided  for  with  their  mother,  and  a  little 
while  before  a  fire  had  destroyed  everything  they  pos- 
sessed. There  was  not  a  crumb  to  stop  their  little 
squalling  mouths.  He  did  not  tell  me  all  this  straight 
out;  a  word  fell  from  him  now  and  then,  like  dates 
from  a  torn  sack.  I  picked  it  up  bit  by  bit,  and  when 
he  saw  I  felt  for  him  he  grew  fierce  and  said :  '  They 
may  send  me  to  the  gold  mines  or  cut  me  to  pieces, 
as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  but  that  the  little  ones 
should  starve  that — that,'  and  he  struck  his  forehead. 
Then  I  left  him  to  say  good  bye  to  Uarda,  and  on 
the  way  I  kept  repeating  to  myself  '  that — that,'  and 
saw  before  me  the  man  and  his  eight  brats.  If  I  were 
rich,  thought  I,  there  is  a  man  I  would  help.  When  I 
got  to  the  little  one  there,  she  told  me  how  much 
money  the  leech  Nebsecht  had  given  her,  and  offered 
to  give  it  me  to  save  Pentaur ;  then  it  passed  through 
my  mind — that  may  go  to  Huni's  children,  and  in 
return  he  will  let  himself  be  shipped  off  to  Ethiopia. 
I  run  to  the  harbor,  spoke  to  the  man,  found  him 
ready  and  willing,  gave  the  money  to  his  wife,  and  at 
night  when  the  prisoners  were  shipped  I  contrived  the 
exchange-  Pentaur  came  with  me  on  my  boat  under 


192  UARDA. 

the  name  of  the  other,  and  Huni  went  to  the  south; 
and  was  called  Pentaur.  I  had  not  deceived  the  man 
into  thinking  he  would  stop  at  Chennu.  I  told  him 
he  would  be  taken  on  to  Ethiopia,  for  it  is  always 
impossible  to  play  a  man  false  when  you  know  it  is 
quite  easy  to  do  it.  It  is  very  strange !  It  is  a  real 
pleasure  to  cheat  a  cunning  fellow  or  a  sturdy  man, 
but  who  would  take  in  a  child  or  a  sick  person  ?  Huni 
certainly  would  have  gone  into  the  fire-pots  of  hell 
Avithout  complaining,  and  he  left  me  quite  cheerfully. 
The  rest,  and  how  we  got  here,  you  yourselves  know. 
In  Syria  at  this  time  of  year  you  will  suffer  a  good 
deal  from  rain.  I  know  the  country,  for  I  have  escorted 
many  prisoners  of  war  into  Egypt,  and  I  was  there  five 
years  with  the  troops  of  the  great  Mohar,  father  of  the 
chief  pioneer  Paaker." 

Bent-Anat  thanked  the  brave  fellow,  and  Pentaur 
and  Nebsecht  continued  the  narrative. 

"  During  the  voyage,"  said  Nebsecht,  "  I  was  uneasy 
about  Pentaur,  for  I  saw  how  he  was  pining,  but  in  the 
desert  he  seemed  to  rouse  himself,  and  often  whispered 
sweet  little  songs  that  he  had  composed  while  we 
marched." 

"  That  is  strange,"  said  Bent-Anat,  "  for  I  also  got 
better  in  the  desert." 

"  Repeat  the  verses  on  the  Beytharan  plant,"*  said 
Nebsecht. 

"Do  you  know  the  plant?"  asked  the  poet.  "It 
grows  here  in  many  places ;  here  it  is.  Only  smell 
how  sweet  it  is  if  you  bruise  the  fleshy  stem  and 
leaves.  My  little  verse  is  simple  enough ;  it  occurred 

*  Santolina  fraerantissima. 


UARDA.  193 

to  me  like  many  other  songs  of  which  you  know  all 
the  best." 

"  They  all  praise  the  same  Goddess,"  said  Nebsecht 
laughing. 

"  But  let  us  have  the  verses,"  said  Bent-Anat.  The 
poet  repeated  in  a  low  voice — 

"  How  often  in  the  desert  I  have  seen 
The  small  herb,  Beytharan,  in  modest  green' 
In  every  tiny  leaf  and  gland  and  hair 
Sweet  perfume  is  distilled,  and  scents  the  air. 
How  is  it  that  in  barren  sandy  ground 
This  little  plant  so  sweet  a  gift  has  found? 
And  that  in  me,  in  this  vast  desert  plain, 
The  sleeping  gift  of  song  awakes  again?" 

"  Do  you  not  ascribe  to  the  desert  what  is  due  to 
love  ?"  said  Nefert. 

"  I  owe  it  to  both ;  but  I  must  acknowledge  that 
the  desert  is  a  wonderful  physician  for  a  sick  soul. 
AVe  take  refuge  from  the  monotony  that  surrounds  us 
in  our  own  reflections;  the  senses  are  at  rest;  and  here, 
undisturbed  and  uninfluenced  from  without,  it  is  given 
to  the  mind  to  think  out  every  train  of  thought  to  the 
end,  to  examine  and  exhaust  every  feeling  to  its  finest 
shades.  In  the  city,  one  is  always  a  mere  particle  in 
a  great  whole,  on  which  one  is  dependent,  to  which 
one  must  contribute,  and  from  which  one  must  accept 
something.  The  solitary  wanderer  in  the  desert  stands 
quite  alone;  he  is  in  a  manner  freed  from  the  ties 
which  bind  him  to  any  great  human  community;  he 
must  fill  up  the  void  by  his  own  identity,  and  seek  in 
it  that  which  may  give  his  existence  significance  and 
consistency.  Here,  where  the  present  retires  into  the 
background,  the  thoughtful  spirit  finds  no  limits  how- 
ever remote." 

"Yes;    one    can    think    well   in   the    desert,"    said 


IQ4  UARDA. 

Nebsecht.  "Much  has  become  clear  to  me  here  that 
in  Egypt  I  only  guessed  at." 

"What  may  that  be?"  asked  Pentaur. 

"In  the  first  place,"  replied  Nebsecht,  "that  we 
none  of  us  really  know  anything  rightly;  secondly  that 
the  ass  may  love  the  rose,  but  the  rose  will  not  love 
the  ass;  and  the  third  thing  I  will  keep  to  myself,  be- 
cause it  is  my  secret,  and  though  it  concerns  all  the 
world  no  one  would  trouble  himself  about  it.  My  lord 
chamberlain,  how  is  this?  You  know  exactly  how 
low  people  must  bow  before  the  princess  in  proportion 
to  their  rank,  and  have  no  idea  how  a  back-bone  is 
made." 

"Why  should  I?"  asked  the  chamberlain.  "I  have 
to  attend  to  outward  things,  while  you  are  contem- 
plating inward  things;  else  your  hair  might  be  smoother, 
and  your  dress  less  stained." 

The  travellers  reached  the  old  Cheta  city  of  Hebron 
without  accident;  there  they  took  leave  of  Abocha- 
rabos,  and  under  the  safe  escort  of  Egyptian  troops 
started  again  for  the  north.  At  Hebron  Pentaur  parted 
from  the  princess,  and  Bent-Anat  bid  him  farewell 
without  complaining. 

Uarda's  father,  who  had  learned  every  path  and 
bridge  in  Syria,  accompanied  the  poet,  while  the  phy- 
sician Nebsecht  remained  with  the  ladies,  whose  good 
star  seemed  to  have  deserted  them  with  Pentaur's  de- 
parture, for  the  violent  winter  rains  which  fell  in  the 
mountains  of  Samaria  destroyed  the  roads,  soaked 
through  the  tents,  and  condemned  them  frequently  to 
undesirable  delays.  At  Megiddo  they  were  received 
with  high  honors  by  the  commandant  of  the  Egyptian 
garrison,  and  they  were  compelled  to  linger  here  some 


UARDA.  195 

days,  for  Nefert,  who  had  been  particularly  eager  to 
hurry  forward,  was  taken  ill,  and  Nebsecht  was  obliged 
to  forbid  her  proceeding  at  this  season. 

Uarda  grew  pale  and  thoughtful,  and  Bent-Anat  saw 
with  anxiety  that  the  tender  roses  were  fading  from  the 
cheeks  of  her  pretty  favorite;  but  when  she  questioned 
her  as  to  what  ailed  her  she  gave  an  evasive  answer.  She 
had  never  either  mentioned  Rameri's  name  before  the  prin- 
cess, nor  shown  her  her  mother's  jewel,  for  she  felt  as  if  all 
that  had  passed  between  her  and  the  prince  was  a  secret 
which  did  not  belong  to  her  alone.  Yet  another  reason 
sealed  her  lips.  She  was  passionately  devoted  to  Bent- 
Anat,  and  she  told  herself  that  if  the  princess  heard  it  all, 
she  would  either  blame  her  brother  or  laugh  at  his  affec- 
tion as  at  a  child's  play,  and  she  felt  as  if  in  that  case 
she  could  not  love  Rameri's  sister  any  more. 

A  messenger  had  been  sent  on  from  the  first  frontier 
station  to  the  king's  camp  to  enquire  by  which  road  the 
princess,  and  her  party  should  leave  Megiddo.*  But  the 
emissary  returned  with  a  short  and  decided  though  affec- 
tionate letter  written  by  the  king's  own  hand,  to  his  daugh- 
ter, desiring  her  not  to  quit  Megiddo,  which  was  a  safe 
magazine  and  arsenal  for  the  army,  strongly  fortified  and 
garrisoned,  as  it  commanded  the  roads  from  the  sea  into 
North  and  Central  Palestine.  Decisive  encounters,  he 
said,  were  impending,  and  she  knew  that  the  Egyptians 
always  excluded  their  wives  and  daughters  from  their 
war  train,  and  regarded  them  as  the  best  reward  of  vic- 
tory when  peace  was  obtained. 

While  the  ladies  were  waiting  in   Megiddo,  Pentaur 

*  The  Egyptian  Maketha.  A  city  of  Palestine  frequently  mentioned  on  the 
monuments  and  which  long  before  its  restoration  by  Salomo  1  (Kings  g,  15,)  pos- 
sessed great  strategic  importance.  The  great  conquerors  of  the  iSth  dynasty 
( 16  centuries  B.  c. )  were  obliged  to  besiege  and  capture  it. 


196  UARDA. 

and  his  red-bearded  guide  proceeded  northwards  with  a 
small  mounted  escort,  with  which  they  were  supplied  by 
the  commandant  of  Hebron. 

He  himself  rode  with  dignity,  though  this  journey 
was  the  first  occasion  on  which  he  had  sat  on  horseback. 
He  seemed  to  have  come  into  the  world  with  the  art  of 
riding  born  with  him.  As  soon  as  he  had  learned  from  his 
companions  how  to  grasp  the  bridle,  and  had  made  him- 
self familiar  with  the  nature  of  the  horse,  it  gave  him  the 
greatest  delight  to  tame  and  subdue  a  fiery  steed. 

He  had  left  his  priest's  robes  in  Egypt.  Here  he  wore 
a  coat  of  mail,  a  sword,  and  battle-axe  like  a  warrior, 
and  his  long  beard,  which  had  grown  during  his  captiv- 
ity, now  flowed  down  over  his  breast.  Uarda's  father 
often  looked  at  him  with  admiration,  and  said  : 

"  One  might  think  the  Mohar,  with  whom  I  often 
travelled  these  roads,  had  risen  from  the  dead.  He  looked 
like  you,  he  spoke  like  you,  lie  called  the  men  as  you  do, 
nay  he  sat  as  you  do  when  the  road  was  too  bad  for  his 
chariot,*  and  he  got  on  horseback,  and  held  the  reins." 

None  of  Pentaur's  men,  except  his  red-bearded  friend, 
was  more  to  him  than  a  mere  hired  servant,  and  he  usu- 
ally preferred  to  ride  alone,  apart  from  the  little  troop, 
musing  on  the  past — seldom  on  the  future — and  gener- 
ally observing  all  that  lay  on  his  way  with  a  keen  eye. 

They  soon  reached  Lebanon;  between  it  and  anti- 
Lebanon  a  road  led  through  the  great  Syrian  valley.  It 
rejoiced  him  to  see  with  his  own  eyes  the  distant  shim- 
mer of  the  white  snow-capped  peaks,  of  which  he  had 
often  heard  warriors  talk. 


UARDA.  197 

The  country  between  the  two  mountain  ranges  was 
rich  and  fruitful,  and  from  the  heights  waterfalls  and 
torrents  rushed  into  the  valley.  Many  villages  and 
towns  lay  on  his  road,  but  most  of  them  had  been 
damaged  in  the  war.  The  peasants  had  been  robbed 
of  their  teams  of  cattle,  the  flocks  had  been  driven  off 
from  the  shepherds,  and  when  a  vine-dresser,  who  was 
training  his  vine  saw  the  little  troop  approaching,  he 
fled  to  the  ravines  and  forests. 

The  traces  of  the  plough  and  the  spade  were 
everywhere  visible,  but  the  fields  were  for  the  most 
part  not  sown ;  the  young  peasants  were  under  arms, 
the  gardens  and  meadows  were  trodden  down  by 
soldiers,  the  houses  and  cottages  plundered  and  de- 
stroyed, or  burnt.  Everything  bore  the  trace  of  the 
devastation  of  the  war,  only  the  oak  and  cedar  forests 
lorded  it  proudly  over  the  mountain-slopes,  planes  and 
locust-trees  grew  in  groves,  and  the  gorges  and  rifts 
of  the  thinly-wooded  limestone  hills,  which  bordered 
the  fertile  low-land,  were  filled  with  evergreen  brush- 
wood. 

At  this  time  of  year  everything  was  moist  and 
well-watered,  and  Pentaur  compared  the  country  with 
Egypt,  and  observed  how  the  same  results  were 
attained  here  as  there,  but  by  different  agencies.  He 
remembered  that  morning  on  Sinai,  and  said  to  him- 
self again  :  "  Another  God  than  ours  rules  here,  and 
the  old  masters  were  not  wrong  who  reviled  godless 
strangers,  and  warned  the  uninitiated,  to  whom  the 
secret  of  the  One  must  remain  unrevealed,  to  quit  their 
home," 

The  nearer  he  approached  the  king's  camp,  the 
more  vividly  he  thought  of  Bent-Anat,  and  the  faster 


198  UARDA. 

his  heart  beat  from  time  to  time  when  he  thought  of 
his  meeting  with  the  king.  On  the  whole  he  was  full 
of  cheerful  confidence,  which  he  felt  to  be  folly,  and 
which  nevertheless  he  could  not  repress. 

Ameni  had  often  blamed  him  for  his  too  great 
diffidence  and  his  want  of  ambition,  when  he  had 
willingly  let  others  pass  him  by.  He  remembered  this 
now,  and  smiled  and  understood  himself  less  than  ever, 
for  though  he  resolutely  repeated  to  himself  a  hundred 
times  that  he  was  a  low-born,  poor,  and  excommuni- 
cated priest,  the  feeling  would  not  be  smothered  that 
he  had  a  right  to  claim  Bent-Anat  for  his  own. 

And  if  the  king  refused  him  his  daughter — if  he 
made  him  pay  for  his  audacity  with  his  life  ? 

Not  an  eyelash,  he  well  knew,  would  tremble  under 
the  blow  of  the  axe,  and  he  would  die  content;  for 
that  which  she  had  granted  him  was  his,  and  no  God 
could  take  it  from  him ! 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

ONCE  or  twice  Pentaur  and  his  companions  had  had 
to  defend  themselves  against  hostile  mountaineers,  who 
rushed  suddenly  upon  them  out  of  the  woods.  When 
they  were  about  two  days'  journey  still  from  the  end  of 
their  march,  they  had  a  bloody  skirmish  with  a  roving 
band  of  men  that  seemed  to  belong  to  a  larger  detach- 
ment of  troops. 

The  nearer  they  got  to  Kadesh,  the  more  familiar 
Kaschta  showed  himself  with  every  stock  and  stone, 
and  he  went  forward  to  obtain  information;  he  re- 
turned somewhat  anxious,  for  he  had  perceived  the 


UARDA.  199 

main  body  of  the  Cheta  army  on  the  road  which  they 
must  cross.  How  came  the  enemy  here  in  the  rear  of 
the  Egyptian  army  ?  Could  Rameses  have  sustained  a 
defeat  ? 

Only  the  day  before  they  had  met  some  Egyptian 
soldiers,  who  had  told  them  that  the  king  was  staying 
in  the  camp,  and  a  great  battle  was  impending.  This 
however  could  not  have  by  this  time  been  decided, 
and  they  had  met  no  flying  Egyptians. 

"  If  we  can  only  get  two  miles  farther  without  hav- 
ing to  fight,"  said  Uarda's  father.  "  I  know  what  to 
do.  Down  below,  there  lies  a  ravine,  and  from  it  a 
path  leads  over  hill  and  vale  to  the  plain  of  Kadesh. 
No  one  ever  knew  it  but  the  Mohar  and  his  most  con- 
fidential servants.  About  half-way  there  is  a  hidden 
cave,  in  which  we  have  often  stayed  the  whole  day 
long.  The  Cheta  used  to  believe  that  the  Mohar  pos- 
sessed magic  powers,  and  could  make  himself  in- 
visible, for  when  they  lay  in  wait  for  us  on  the  way 
we  used  suddenly  to  vanish ;  but  certainly  not  into  the 
clouds,  only  into  the  cave,  which  the  Mohar  used  to 
call  his  Tuat*  If  you  are  not  afraid  of  a  climb,  and 
will  lead  your  horse  behind  you  for  a  mile  or  two,  I 
can  show  you  the  way,  and  to-morrow  evening  we  will 
be  at  the  camp." 

Pentaur  let  his  guide  lead  the  way;  they  came, 
without  having  occasion  to  fight,  as  far  as  the  gorge 
between  the  hills,  through  which  a  full  and  foaming 
mountain  torrent  rushed  to  the  valley.  Kaschta  dropped 
from  his  horse,  and  the  others  did  the  same.  After 
the  horses  had  passed  through  the  water,  he  carefully 
effaced  their  tracks  as  far  as  the  road,  then  for  about 

*  Tuat — the  nether-world,  the  abyss. 


200  UARDA. 

half  a  mile  he  ascended  the  valley  against  the  stream. 
At  last  he  stopped  in  front  of  a  thick  oleander-bush, 
looked  carefully  about,  and  lightly  pushed  it  aside; 
when  he  had  found  an  entrance,  his  companions  and 
their  weary  scrambling  beasts  followed  him  without 
difficulty,  and  they  presently  found  themselves  in  a 
grove  of  lofty  cedars.  Now  they  had  to  squeeze 
themselves  between  masses  of  rock,  now  they  labored 
up  and  down  over  smooth  pebbles,  which  offered 
scarcely  any  footing  to  the  horses'  hoofs;  now  they 
had  to  push  their  way  through  thick  brushwood,  and 
now  to  cross  little  brooks  swelled  by  the  winter-rains. 

The  road  became  more  difficult  at  every  step,  then 
it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  heavy  drops  of  rain  fell 
from  the  clouded  sky. 

"  Make  haste,  and  keep  close  to  me,"  cried  Kaschta. 
"  Half  an  hour  more,  and  we  shall  be  under  shelter,  if 
I  do  not  lose  my  way." 

Then  a  horse  broke  down,  and  with  great  difficulty 
was  got  up  again ;  the  rain  fell  with  increased  violence, 
the  night  grew  darker,  and  the  soldier  often  found 
himself  brought  to  a  stand-still,  feeling  for  the  path 
with  his  hands ;  twice  he  thought  he  had  lost  it,  but 
he  would  not  give  in  till  he  had  recovered  the  track. 
At  last  he  stood  still,  and  called  Pentaur  to  come  to 
him. 

"Hereabouts,"  said  he,  "the  cave  must  be;  keep 
close  to  me — it  is  possible  that  we  may  come  upon 
some  of  the  pioneer's  people.  Provisions  and  fuel 
were  always  kept  here  in  his  father's  time.  Can  you 
see  me?  Hold  on  to  my  girdle,  and  bend  your  head  low 
till  I  tell  you  you  may  stand  upright  again.  Keep  your 


UARDA.  2OI 

axe  ready,  we  may  find  some  of  the  Cheta  or  bandits 
roosting  there.  You  people  must  wait,  we  will  soon  call 
you  to  come  under  shelter." 

Pentaur  closely  followed  his  guide,  pushing  his  way 
through  the  dripping  brushwood,  crawling  through  a 
low  passage  in  the  rock,  and  at  last  emerging  on  a 
small  rocky  plateau. 

"Take  care  where  you  are  going!"  cried  Kaschta. 
"  Keep  to  the  left,  to  the  right  there  is  a  deep  abyss. 
I  smell  smoke !  Keep  your  hand  on  your  axe,  there 
must  be  some  one  in  the  cave.  Wait !  I  will  fetch  the 
men  as  far  as  this." 

The  soldier  went  back,  and  Pentaur  listened  for 
any  sounds  that  might  come  from  the  same  direction 
as  the  smoke.  He  fancied  he  could  perceive  a  small 
gleam  of  light,  and  he  certainly  heard  quite  plainly, 
first  a  tone  of  complaint,  then  an  angry  voice;  he  went 
towards  the  light,  feeling  his  way  by  the  wall  on  his 
left ;  the  light  shone  broader  and  brighter,  and  seemed 
to  issue  from  a  crack  in  a  door. 

By  this  time  the  soldier  had  rejoined  Pentaur,  and 
both  listened  for  a  few  minutes ;  then  the  poet  whis- 
pered to  his  guide : 

"  They  are  speaking  Egyptian,  I  caught  a  few 
words." 

"  All  the  better,"  said  Kaschta.  "  Paaker  or  some 
of  his  people  are  in  there ;  the  door  is  there  still,  and 
shut.  If  we  give  four  hard  and  three  gentle  knocks, 
it  will  be  opened.  Can  you  understand  what  they  are 
saying  ?" 

"  Some  one  is  begging  to  be  set  free,"  replied  Pen- 
taur, "  and  speaks  of  some  traitor.  The  other  has  a 
rough  voice,  and  says  he  must  follow  his  master's 
35 


202  UARDA. 

orders.  Now  the  one  who  spoke  before  is  crying;  do 
you  hear?  He  is  entreating  him  by  the  soul  of  his 
father  to  take  his  fetters  off.  How  despairing  his  voice 
is  !  Knock,  Kaschta — it  strikes  me  we  are  come  at  the 
right  moment — knock,  I  say." 

The  soldier  knocked  first  four  times,  then  three 
times.  A  shriek  rang  through  the  cave,  and  they  could 
hear  a  heavy,  rusty  bolt  drawn  back,  the  roughly  hewn 
door  was  opened,  and  a  hoarse  voice  asked : 

"  Is  that  Paaker  ?" 

"  No,"  answered  the  soldier,  "  I  am  Kaschta.  Do 
not  you  know  me  again,  Nubi  ?" 

The  man  thus  addressed,  who  was  Paaker's  Ethio- 
pian slave,  drew  back  in  surprise. 

"  Are  you  still  alive  ?"  he  exclaimed.  "  What  brings 
you  here?" 

"  My  lord  here  will  tell  you,"  answered  Kaschta  as 
he  made  way  for  Pentaur  to  enter  the  cave.  The  poet 
went  up  to  the  black  man,  and  the  light  of  the  fire 
which  burned  in  the  cave  fell  full  on  his  face. 

The  old  slave  stared  at  him,  and  drew  back  in 
astonishment  and  terror.  He  threw  himself  on  the 
earth,  howled  like  a  dog  that  fawns  at  the  feet  of  his 
angry  master,  and  cried  out : 

"  He  ordered  it — Spirit  of  my  master !  he  ordered  it." 

Pentaur  stood  still,  astounded  and  incapable  of 
speech,  till  he  perceived  a  young  man,  who  crept  up 
to  him  on  his  hands  and  feet,  which  were  bound  with 
thongs,  and  who  cried  to  him  in  a  tone,  in  which  terror 
was  mingled  with  a  tenderness  which  touched  Pentaur's 
very  soul : 

"  Save  me — Spirit  of  the  Mohar !  save  me,  father !" 
Then  the  poet  spoke. 


UARDA.  203 

I  "  I  am  no  spirit  of  the  dead,"  said  he.  "  I  am  the 
priest  Pentaur;  and  I  know  you,  boy;  you  are  Horus, 
Paaker's  brother,  who  was  brought  up  with  me  in  the 
temple  of  Seti." 

The  prisoner  approached  him  trembling,  looked  at 
him  enquiringly  and  exclaimed : 

"  Be  you  who  you  may,  you  are  exactly  like  my 
father  in  person  and  in  voice.  Loosen  my  bonds,  and 
listen  to  me,  for  the  most  hideous,  atrocious,  and  ac- 
cursed treachery  threatens  us — the  king  and  all." 

Pentaur  drew  his  sword,  and  cut  the  leather  thongs 
which  bound  the  young  man's  hands  and  feet.  He 
stretched  his  released  limbs,  uttering  thanks  to  the 
Gods,  then  he  cried : 

"  If  you  love  Egypt  and  the  king  follow  me ;  per- 
haps there  is  yet  time  to  hinder  the  hideous  deed,  and 
to  frustrate  this  treachery." 

"  The  night  is  dark,"  said  Kaschta,  "  and  the  road 
to  the  valley  is  dangerous." 

"  You  must  follow  me  if  it  is  to  your  death  !  "  cried 
the  youth,  and,  seizing  Pentaur's  hand,  he  dragged  him 
with  him  out  of  the  cave. 

As  soon  as  the  black  slave  had  satisfied  himself 
that  Pentaur  was  the  priest  whom  he  had  seen  fighting 
in  front  of  the  paraschites'  hovel,  and  not  the  ghost  of 
his  dead  master,  he  endeavored  to  slip  past  Paaker's 
brother,  but  Horus  observed  the  manoeuvre,  and  seized 
him  by  his  woolly  hair.  The  slave  cried  out  loudly, 
and  whimpered  out : 

"  If  thou  dost  escape,  Paaker  will  kill  me;  he  swore 
he  would." 

"  Wait !"  said  the  youth.    He  dragged  the  slave  back, 


204  UARDA. 

flung  him  into  the  cave,  and  blocked  up  the  door  with 
a.  huge  log  which  lay  near  it  for  that  purpose. 

When  the  three  men  had  crept  back  through  the 
low  passage  in  the  rocks,  and  found  themselves  once 
more  in  the  open  air,  they  found  a  high  wind  was 
blowing. 

"The  storm  will  soon  be  over,"  said  Horus.  "  See 
how  the  clouds  are  driving!  Let  us  have  horses,  Pen- 
taur,  for  there  is  not  a  minute  to  be  lost." 

The  poet  ordered  Kaschta  to  summons  the  people 
to  start  but  the  soldier  advised  differently. 

"  Men  and  horses  are  exhausted,"  he  said,  "  and 
we  shall  get  on  very  slowly  in  the  dark.  Let  the 
beasts  feed  for  an  hour,  and  the  men  get  rested  and 
warm ;  by  that  time  the  moon  will  be  up,  and  we  shall 
make  up  for  the  delay  by  having  fresh  horses,  and 
light  enough  to  see  the  road." 

"The  man  is  right,"  said  Horus;  and  he  led 
Kaschta  to  a  cave  in  the  rocks,  where  barley  and  dates 
for  the  horses,  and  a  few  jars  of  wine,  had  been  pre- 
served. They  soon  had  lighted  a  fire,  and  while  some 
of  the  men  took  care  of  the  horses,  and  others  cooked 
a  warm  mess  of  victuals,  Horus  and  Pentaur  walked 
up  and  down  impatiently. 

"  Had  you  been  long  bound  in  those  thongs  when 
we  came  ?"  asked  Pentaur. 

"  Yesterday  my  brother  fell  upon  me,"  replied 
Horus.  "  He  is  by  this  time  a  long  way  ahead  of  us, 
and  if  he  joins  the  Cheta,  and  we  do  not  reach  the 
Egyptian  camp  before  daybreak,  all  is  lost." 

"  Paaker,  then,  is  plotting  treason  ?" 

"  Treason,  the  foulest,  blackest  treason  !"  exclaimed 
the  young  man.  "  Oh,  my  lost  father  ! — " 


UARDA.  205 

"  Confide  in  me,"  said  Pentaur  going  up  to  the  un- 
happy youth  who  had  hidden  his  face  in  his  hands. 
"  What  is  Paaker  plotting  ?  How  is  it  that  your  brother 
is  your  enemy  ?" 

"  He  is  the  elder  of  us  two,"  said  Horus  with  a 
trembling  voice.  "  When  my  father  died  I  had  only  a 
short  time  before  left  the  school  of  Seti,  and  with  his 
last  words  my  father  enjoined  me  to  respect  Paaker  as 
the  head  of  our  family.  He  is  domineering  and  violent, 
and  will  allow  no  one's  will  to  cross  his ;  but  I  bore 
everything,  and  always  obeyed  him,  often  against  my 
better  judgment.  I  remained  with  him  two  years, 
then  I  went  to  Thebes,  and  there  I  married,  and  my 
\vife  and  child  are  now  living  there  with  my  mother. 
About  sixteen  months  afterwards  I  came  back  to  Syria, 
and  we  travelled  through  the  country  together ;  but  by 
this  time  I  did  not  choose  to  be  the  mere  tool  of  my 
brother's  will,  for  I  had  grown  prouder,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  father  of  my  child  ought  not  to  be  sub- 
servient, even  to  his  own  brother.  We  often  quarrelled, 
and  had  a  bad  time  together,  and  life  became  quite 
unendurable,  when — about  eight  weeks  since — Paaker 
came  back  from  Thebes,  and  the  king  gave  him  to 
understand  that  he  approved  more  of  my  reports  than  of 
his.  From  my  childhood  I  have  always  been  soft- 
hearted and  patient ;  every  one  says  I  am  like  my 
mother;  but  what  Paaker  made  me  suffer  by  words 
and  deeds,  that  is — I  could  not — "  His  voice  broke, 
and  Pentaur  felt  how  cruelly  he  had  suffered ;  then  he 
went  on  again : 

"  What  happened  to  my  brother  in  Egypt,  I  do  not 
know,  for  he  is  very  reserved,  and  asks  for  no  sympathy, 
either  in  joy  or  in  sorrow ;  but  from  words  he  has 


206  UARDA. 

dropped  now  and  then  I  gather  that  he  not  only  bit- 
terly hates  Mena,  the  charioteer — who  certainly  did 
him  an  injury — but  has  some  grudge  against  the  king 
too.  I  spoke  to  him  of  it  at  once,  but  only  once,  for  his 
rage  is  unbounded  when  he  is  provoked,  and  after  all 
he  is  my  elder  brother. 

"  For  some  days  they  have  been  preparing  in  the 
camp  for  a  decisive  battle,  and  it  was  our  duty  to 
ascertain  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy ;  the 
king  gave  me,  and  not  Paaker,  the  commission  to  pre- 
pare the  report.  Early  yesterday  morning  I  drew  it 
out  and  wrote  it ;  then  my  brother  said  he  would  carry 
it  to  the  camp,  and  I  was  to  wait  here.  I  positively  re- 
fused, as  Rameses  had  required  the  report  at  my  hands, 
and  not  at  his.  Well,  he  raved  like  a  madman,  de- 
clared that  I  had  taken  advantage  of  his  absence  to 
insinuate  myself  into  the  king's  favor,  and  commanded 
me  to  obey  him  as  the  head  of  the  house,  in  the  name 
of  my  father. 

"  I  was  sitting  irresolute,  when  he  went  out  of  the 
cavern  to  call  his  horses;  then  my  eyes  fell  on  the 
things  which  the  old  black  slave  was  tying  together 
to  load  on  a  pack-horse — among  them  was  a  roll  of 
writing.  I  fancied  it  was  my  own,  and  took  it  up  to 
look  at  it,  when — what  should  I  find  ?  At  the  risk  of 
my  life  I  had  gone  among  the  Cheta,  and  had  found 
that  the  main  body  of  their  army  is  collected  in  a 
cross-valley  of  the  Orontes,  quite  hidden  in  the  moun- 
tains to  the  north-east  of  Kadesh ;  and  in  the  roll  it 
was  stated,  in  Paaker's  own  hand-writing,  that  that 
valley  is  clear,  and  the  way  through  it  open,  and  well 
suited  for  the  passage  of  the  Egyptian  war-chariots; 
various  other  false  details  were  given,  and  when  I 


UARDA.  207 

looked  further  among  his  things,  I  found  between  the 
arrows  in  his  quiver,  on  which  he  had  written  '  death 
to  Mena,'  another  little  roll  of  writing.  I  tore  it  open, 
and  my  blood  ran  cold  when  I  saw  to  whom  it  was 
addressed." 

"  To  the  king  of  the  Cheta  ?"  cried  Pentaur  in  ex- 
citement. 

"  To  his  chief  officer,  Titure,"*  continued  Horus. 
"  I  was  holding  both  the  rolls  in  my  hand,  when  Paaker 
came  back  into  the  cave.  '  Traitor !'  I  cried  out  to 
him;  but  he  flung  the  lasso,  with  which  he  had  been 
catching  the  stray  horses,  threw  it  round  my  neck,  and 
as  I  fell  choking  on  the  ground,  he  and  the  black  man, 
who  obeys  him  like  a  dog,  bound  me  hand  and  foot ; 
he  left  the  old  negro  to  keep  guard  over  me,  took  the 
rolls  and  rode  away.  Look,  there  are  the  stars,  and 
the  moon  will  soon  be  up." 

"  Make  haste,  men  !"  cried  Pentaur.  "  The  three 
best  horses  for  me,  Horus,  and  Kaschta ;  the  rest  remain 
here." 

As  the  red-bearded  soldier  led  the  horses  forward, 
the  moon  shone  forth,  and  within  an  hour  the  travellers 
had  reached  the  plain ;  they  sprang  on  to  the  beasts  and 
rode  madly  on  towards  the  lake,  which,  when  the  sun 
rose,  gleamed  before  them  in  silvery  green.  As  they 
drew  near  to  it  they  could  discern,  on  its  treeless 
western  shore, black  masses  moving  hither  and  thither; 
clouds  of  dust  rose  up  from  the  plain,  pierced  by  flashes 
of  light,  like  the  rays  of  the  sun  reflected  from  a  mov- 
ing mirror. 


*  This  name  occurs  among  the  Cheta  on  the  triumphal  Monuments  of  the 
Rameaseum. 


208  UARDA. 

"The  battle  is  begun  !"  cried  Horus;  and  befell 
sobbing  on  his  horse's  neck. 

"  But  all  is  not  lost  yet !"  exclaimed  the  poet, 
spurring  his  horse  to  a  final  effort  of  strength.  His 
companions  did  the  same,  but  first  Kaschta's  horse  fell 
under  him,  then  Horus's  broke  down. 

"  Help  may  be  given  by  the  left  wing  !"  cried  Horus. 
"  I  will  run  as  fast  as  I  can  on  foot,  I  know  where  to 
find  them.  You  will  easily  find  the  king  if  you  follow 
the  stream  to  the  stone  bridge.  In  the  cross-valley 
about  a  thousand  paces  farther  north — to  the  north- 
west of  our  stronghold — the  surprise  is  to  be  effected. 
Try  to  get  through,  and  warn  Rameses ;  the  Egyptian 
pass-word  is  '  Bent-Anat,'  the  name  of  the  king's  fa- 
vorite daughter.  But  even  if  you  had  wings,  and 
could  fly  straight  to  him,  they  would  overpower  him 
if  I  cannot  succeed  in  turning  the  left  wing  on  the 
rear  of  the  enemy." 

Pentaur  galloped  onwards ;  but  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore his  horse  too  gave  way,  and  he  ran  forward  like 
a  man  who  runs  a  race,  and  shouted  the  pass-word 
"  Bent-Anat  " — for  the  ring  of  her  name  seemed  to  give 
him  vigor.  Presently  he  came  upon  a  mounted  mes- 
senger of  the  enemy  ;  he  struck  him  down  from  his 
horse,  flung  himself  into  the  saddle,  and  rushed  on 
towards  the  camp,  as  if  he  were  riding  to  his  wedding. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

DURING  the  night  which  had  proved  so  eventful  to 
our  friends,  much  had  occurred  in  the  king's  camp, 
for  the  troops  were  to  advance  to  the  long-anticipated 
battle  before  sunrise. 


UARDA.  209 

Paaker  had  given  his  false  report  of  the  enemy's 
movements  to  the  Pharaoh  with  his  own  hand ;  a 
council  of  war  had  been  held,  and  each  division  had 
received  instructions  as  to  where  it  was  to  take  up  its 
position.  The  corps,  which  bore  the  name  of  the  Sun- 
god  Ra,  advanced  from  the  south  towards  Schabatun,* 
so  as  to  surround  the  lake  on  the  east,  and  fall  on  the 
enemy's  flank ;  the  corps  of  Seth,  composed  of  men 
from  lower  Egypt,  was  sent  on  to  Arnam  to  form  the 
centre  ;  the  king  himself,  with  the  flower  of  the  chariot- 
guard,  proposed  to  follow  the  road  through  the  valley, 
which  Paakar's  report  represented  as  a  safe  and  open 
passage  to  the  plain  of  the  Orontes.  Thus,  while  the 
other  divisions  occupied  the  enemy,  he  could  cross  the 
Orontes  by  a  ford,  and  fall  on  the  rear  of  the  fortress 
of  Kadesh  from  the  north-west.  The  corps  of  Amon, 
with  the  Ethiopian  mercenaries,  were  to  support  him, 
joining  him  by  another  route,  which  the  pioneer's  false 
indications  represented  as  connecting  the  line  of  opera- 
tions. The  corps  of  Ptah  remained  as  a  reserve  be- 
hind the  left  wing. 


*  Kadesh  was  the  chief  city  of  the  Cheta,  i.  e.  Aramseans,  round  which 
the  united  forces  of  all  the  peoples  of  western  Asia  had  collected.  There  were 
several  cities  called  Kadesh.  That  which  frequently  checked  the  forces  of 
Thotmes  III.  may  have  been  situated  farther  to  the  south;  but  the  Cheta  city 
of  Kadesh,  where  Rameses  II.  fought  so  hard  a  battle,  was  undoubtedly  on  the 
Orontes,  for  the  river  which  is  depicted  on  the  pylon  of  the  Ramesseum  as 
parting  into  two  streams  which  wash  the  walls  of  the  fortress,  is  called  Aruntha, 
and  in  the  Epos  of  Pentaur  it  is  stated  that  this  battle  took  place  at  Kadesh 
by  the  Orontes.  The  name  of  the  city  survives,  at  a  spot  just  three  miles 
north  of  the  lake  of  Riblah.  The  battle  itself  I  have  described  from  the  epos 
of  Pentaur,  the  national  epic  of  Egypt.  It  ends  with  these  words:  "  This  was 
written  and  made  by  the  scribe  Pentaur."  It  was  so  highly  esteemed  that  it  is 
engraved  in  stone  twice  at  Luqsor,  and  once  at  Karnak.  Copies  of  it  on 
papyrus  are  frequent;  for  instance,  papyrus  Sallier  III.  and  papyrus  Raifet — 
unfortunately  much  injured — in  the  Louvre.  The  principal  incident,  the 
rescue  of  the  king  from  the  enemy,  is  repeated  at  the  Ramesseum  at  Thebes, 
and  at  Abu  Simbel.  It  was  translated  into  French  by  Vicomte  E.  de  Rouge. 
The  carnn  of  Rameses  is  depicted  on  the  pylons  of  Luqsor  and  -the  Ramesseum. 


2IO  UARDA. 

The  soldiers  had  not  gone  to  rest  as  usual ;  heavily- 
armed  troops,  who  bore  in  one  hand  a  shield  of  half  a 
man's  height,  and  in  the  other  a  scimitar,  or  a  short,  pointed 
sword,  guarded  the  camp,*  where  numerous  fires  burned, 
round  which  crowded  the  resting  warriors.  Here  a 
wine-skin  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  there  a  joint 
was  roasting  on  a  wooden  spit;  farther  on  a  party  were 
throwing  dice  for  the  booty  they  had  won,  or  playing  at 
morra.  All  was  in  eager  activity,  and  many  a  scuffle  oc- 
curred among  the  excited  soldiers,  and  had  to  be  settled 
by  the  camp- watch. 

Near  the  enclosed  plots,  where  the  horses  were  teth- 
ered, the  smiths  were  busily  engaged  in  shoeing  the  beasts 
which  needed  it,  and  in  sharpening  the  points  of  the 
lances  ;  the  servants  of  the  chariot-guard  were  also  fully 
occupied,  as  the  chariots  had  for  the  most  part  been 
brought  over  the  mountains  in  detached  pieces  on  the 
backs  of  pack-horses  and  asses,**  and  now  had  to  be 
put  together  again,  and  to  have  their  wheels  greased.  On 
the  eastern  side  of  the  camp  stood  a  canopy,  under  which 
the  standards  were  kept,  and  there  numbers  of  priests 
were  occupied  in  their  office  of  blessing  the  warriors,  of- 
fering sacrifices,  and  singing  hymns  and  litanies.  But 
these  pious  sounds  were  frequently  overpowered  by  the 
loud  voices  of  the  gamblers  and  revellers,  by  the  blows  of 
the  hammers,  the  hoarse  braying  of  the  asses,  and  the 
neighing  of  the  horses.  From  time  to  time  also  the  deep 
roar  of  the  king's  war-lions***  might  be  heard;  these 
beasts  followed  him  into  the  fight,  and  were  now  howling 
for  food,  as  they  had  been  kept  fasting  to  excite  their  fury. 

*  Representations  of  Rameses'  camp  are  preserved  on  the  pylons  of  the 
temple  of  Luxor  and  the  Ramesseum. 

**  The  different  parts  of  dismembered  chariots  are  represented  as  being 
carried  on  asses  in  the  picture  of  the  camp  in  the  Ramesseum. 

***  See  Diodorus,  I.  47.  Also  the  pictures  of  the  king  rushing  to  the  fight. 


UARDA.  211 

In  the  midst  of  the  camp  stood  the  king's  tent, 
surrounded  by  foot  and  chariot-guards.  The  auxiliary 
troops  were  encamped  in  divisions  according  to  their 
nationality,  and  between  them  the  Egyptian  legions  of 
heavy-armed  soldiers  and  archers.  Here  might  be 
seen  the  black  Ethiopian  with  wooly  matted  hair,  in 
which  a  few  feathers  were  stuck — the  handsome,  well- 
proportioned  "  Son  of  the  desert "  from  the  sandy  Ara- 
bian shore  of  the  Red  Sea,  who  performed  his  Avild 
war-dance  flourishing  his  lance,  with  a  peculiar  wriggle 
of  his  hips — pale  Sardinians,  with  metal  helmets  and 
heavy  swords — light  colored  Libyans,  with  tattooed 
arms  and  ostrich-feathers  on  their  heads — brown, 
bearded  Arabs,  worshippers  of  the  stars,  inseparable 
from  their  horses,  and  armed,  some  with  lances,  and 
some  with  bows  and  arrows.  And  not  less  various  than 
their  aspect  were  the  tongues  of  the  allied  troops — but 
all  obedient  to  the  king's  word  of  command. 

In  the  midst  of  the  royal  tents  was  a  lightly  con- 
structed temple  with  the  statues  of  the  Gods  of  Thebes, 
and  of  the  king's  forefathers ;  clouds  of  incense  rose  in 
front  of  it,  for  the  priests  were  engaged  from  the  eve 
of  the  battle  until  it  was  over,  in  prayers,  and  offerings 
to  Amon,  the  king  of  the  Gods,  to  Necheb,  the  God- 
dess of  victory,  and  to  Menth,  the  God  of  war. 

The  keeper  of  the  lions  stood  by  the  Pharaoh's 
sleeping-tent,  and  the  tent,  which  served  as  a  council- 
chamber,  was  distinguished  by  the  standards  in  front 
of  it :  but  the  council-tent  was  empty  and  still,  while 
in  the  kitchen-tent,  as  well  as  in  the  wine-store  close 
by,  all  was  in  a  bustle.  The  large  pavilion,  in  which 
Rameses  and  his  suite  were  taking  their  evening  meal, 
was  more  brilliantly  lighted  than  all  the  others;  it  was 


212  UARDA. 

a  covered  tent,  a  long  square  in  shape,  and  all  round 
it  were  colored  lamps,  which  made  it  as  light  as  day; 
a  body-guard  of  Sardinians,  Libyans,  and  Egyptians 
guarded  it  with  drawn  swords,  and  seemed  too  wholly 
absorbed  with  the  importance  of  their  office  even  to 
notice  the  dishes  and  wine-jars,  which  the  king's  pages 
— the  sons  of  the  highest  families  in  Egypt — took  at 
the  tent-door  from  the  cooks  and  butlers. 

The  walls  and  slanting  roof  of  this  quickly-built 
and  movable  banqueting-hall,  consisted  of  a  strong, 
impenetrable  carpet-stuff,  woven  at  Thebes,  and  after- 
wards dyed  purple  at  Tanis  by  the  Phoenicians.  Saitic 
artists  had  embroidered  the  vulture,  one  of  the  forms  in 
which  Necheb  appears,  a  hundred  times  on  the  costly 
material  with  threads  of  silver.  The  cedar-wood  pillars 
of  the  tent  were  covered  with  gold,  and  the  ropes, 
which  secured  the  light  erection  to  the  tent-pegs,  were 
twisted  of  silk,  and  thin  threads  of  silver.*  Seated 
round  four  tables,  more  than  a  hundred  men  were 
taking  their  evening  meal ;  at  three  of  them  the  generals 
of  the  army,  the  chief  priests,  and  councillors,  sat  on 
light  stools ;  at  the  fourth,  and  at  some  distance  from 
the  others,  were  the  princes  of  the  blood ;  and  the  king 
himself  sat  apart  at  a  high  table,  on  a  throne  supported 
by  gilt  figures  of  Asiatic  prisoners  in  chains.  His  table 
and  throne  stood  on  a  low  dais  covered  with  panther-skin ; 
but  even  without  that  Rameses  would  have  towered  above 
his  companions.  His  form  was  powerful,  and  there  was  a 
commanding  aspect  in  his  bearded  face,  and  in  the  high 
brow,  crowned  with  a  golden  diadem  adorned  with  the 
heads  ot  two  Uraeus-snakes,  wearing  the  crowns  of  Up- 
per and  Lower  Egypt.  A  broad  collar  of  precious  stones 

*  Silk  was  certainly  known  in  the  time  of  the  Ptolemies.  The  transparent 
Boinbyx  tissues  of  Cos  were  celebrated.  Pariset,  Histoire  de  la  Sole.  1862. 


UARDA.  213 

covered  half  his  breast,  the  lower  half  was  concealed  by 
a  scarf  or  belt,  and  his  bare  arms  were  adorned  with 
bracelets.  His  finely-proportioned  limbs  looked  as  if 
moulded  in  bronze,  so  smoothly  were  the  powerful 
muscles  covered  with  the  shining  copper-colored  skin. 
Sitting  here  among  those  who  were  devoted  to  him,  he 
looked  with  kind  and  fatherly  pride  at  his  blooming  sons. 

The  lion  was  at  rest — but  nevertheless  he  was  a 
lion,  and  terrible  things  might  be  looked  for  when  he 
should  rouse  himself,  and  when  the  mighty  hand,  which 
now  dispensed  bread,  should  be  clenched  for  the  fight. 
There  was  nothing  mean  in  this  man,  and  yet  nothing 
alarming;  for,  if  his  eye  had  a  commanding  sparkle, 
the  expression  of  his  mouth  was  particularly  gentle;  and 
the  deep  voice  which  could  make  itself  heard  above  the 
clash  of  fighting  men,  could  also  assume  the  sweetest 
and  most  winning  tones.  His  education  had  not  only 
made  him  well  aware  of  his  greatness  and  power,  but 
had  left  him  also  a  genuine  man,  a  stranger  to  none  ot 
the  emotions  of  the  human  -soul. 

Behind  Pharaoh  stood  a  man,  younger  than  himself, 
who  gave  him  his  wine-cup  after  first  touching  it  with 
his  own  lips ;  this  was  Mena,  the  king's  charioteer  and 
favorite  companion.  His  figure  was  slight  and  yet 
vigorous,  supple  and  yet  dignified,  and  his  finely-formed 
features  and  frank  bright  eyes  were  full  at  once  of  self- 
respect  and  of  benevolence.  Such  a  man  might  fail  in 
reflection  and  counsel,  but  would  be  admirable  as  an 
honorable,  staunch,  and  faithful  friend. 

Among  the  princes,  Chamus*  sat  nearest  to  the  king; 

*  He  is  named  Cha-em-Us  on  the  monuments,  i.e.,  '•  splendor  in  Thebes.' 
He  became  the  Sam,  or  high-priest  of  Memphis.  His  mummy  was  discovered 
by  Mariette  in  the  tomb  of  Apis  at  Saqqarah  during  Ins  excavations  ot  tha 
Serapeum  at  Memphis. 


214  UARDA. 

he  was  the  eldest  of  his  sons,  and  while  still  young  had 
been  invested  with  the  dignity  of  high-priest  of  Mem- 
phis. The  curly-haired  Rameri,  who  had  been  rescued 
from  imprisonment — into  which  he  had  fallen  on  his 
journey  from  Egypt — had  been  assigned  a  place  with 
the  younger  princes  at  the  lowest  end  of  the  table. 

"  It  all  sounds  very  threatening ! "  said  the  king. 
"  But  though  each  of  you  croakers  speaks  the  truth, 
your  love  for  me  dims  your  sight.  In  fact,  all  that 
Rameri  has  told  me,  that  Bent-Anat  writes,  that  Mena's 
stud-keeper  says  of  Ani,  and  that  comes  through  other 
channels — amounts  to  nothing  that  need  disturb  us.  I 
know  your  uncle — I  know  that  he  will  make  his  borrowed 
throne  as  wide  as  he  possibly  can  ;  but  when  we  return 
home  he  will  be  quite  content  to  sit  on  a  narrow  seat 
again.  Great  enterprises  and  daring  deeds  are  not 
what  he  excels  in ;  but  he  is  very  apt  at  carrying  out  a 
ready-made  system,  and  therefore  I  choose  him  to  be 
my  Regent." 

"  But  Ameni,"  said  Chamus,  bowing  respectfully  to 
his  father,  "  seems  to  have  stirred  up  his  ambition,  and 
to  support  him  with  his  advice.  The  chief  of  the 
House  of  Seti  is  a  man  of  great  ability,  and  at  least 
half  of  the  priesthood  are  his  adherents." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  the  king.  "  Their  lordships 
owe  me  a  grudge  because  I  have  called  their  serfs  to 
arms,  and  they  want  them  to  till  their  acres.  A  pretty 
sort  of  people  they  have  sent  me !  their  courage  flies 
with  the  first  arrow.  They  shall  guard  the  camp  to- 
morrow ;  they  will  be  equal  to  that  when  it  is  made 
clear  to  their  understanding  that,  if  they  let  the  tents 
be  taken,  the  bread,  meat  and  wines-skins  will  also  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  If  Kadesh  is  taken  by 


UARDA.  215 

storm,  the  temples  of  the  Nile  shall  have  the  greater 
part  of  the  spoil,  and  you  yourself,  my  young  high- 
priest  of  Memphis,  shall  show  your  colleagues  that 
Rameses  repays  in  bushels  that  which  he  has  taken  in 
handfuls  from  the  ministers  of  the  Gods." 

"  Ameni's  disaffection,"  replied  Chamus,  "  has  a 
deeper  root ;  thy  mighty  spirit  seeks  and  finds  its  own 
way — " 

"  But  their  lordships,"  interrupted  Rameses,  "  are 
accustomed  to  govern  the  king  too,  and  I — I  do  not 
do  them  credit.  I  rule  as  vicar  of  the  Lord  of  the 
Gods,  but — I  myself  am  no  God,  though  they  attribute 
to  me  the  honors  of  a  divinity ;  and  in  all  humility  of 
heart  I  willingly  leave  it  to  them  to  be  the  mediators 
between  the  Immortals  and  me  or  my  people.  Human 
affairs  certainly  I  choose  to  manage  in  my  own  way. 
And  now  no  more  of  them.  I  cannot  bear  to  doubt 
my  friends,  and  trustfulness  is  so  dear,  so  essential  to 
me,  that  I  must  indulge  in  it  even  if  my  confidence  re- 
sults in  my  being  deceived." 

The  king  glanced  at  Mena,  who  handed  him  a 
golden  cup — which  he  emptied.  He  looked  at  the 
glittering  beaker,  and  then,  with  a  flash  of  his  grave, 
bright  eyes,  he  added  : 

"  And  if  I  am  betrayed — if  ten  such  as  Ameni  and 
Ani  entice  my  people  into  a  snare — I  shall  return  home, 
and  will  tread  the  reptiles  into  dust." 

His  deep  voice  rang  out  the  words,  as  if  he  were  a 
herald  proclaiming  a  victorious  deed  of  arms.  Not  a 
word  was  spoken,  not  a  hand  moved,  when  he  ceased 
speaking.  Then  he  raised  his  cup,  and  said : 

"  It  is  well  before  the  battle  to  uplift  our  hearts ! 
We  have  done  great  deeds ;  distant  nations  have  felt 


2l6  UARDA. 

our  hand ;  we  have  planted  our  pillars  of  conquest  by 
their  rivers,  and  graven  the  record  of  our  deeds  on 
their  rocks.*  Your  king  is  great  above  all  kings,  and 
it  is  through  the  might  of  the  Gods,  and  your  valor — 
my  brave  comrades.  May  to-morrow's  fight  bring  us 
new  glory!  May  the  Immortals  soon  bring  this  war  to  a 
close!  Empty  your  wine  cups  with  me — To  victory 
and  a  speedy  return  home  in  peace !  " 

"  Victory !  Victory  !  Long  life  to  the  Pharaoh  ! 
Strength  and  health !  "  cried  the  guests  of  the  king, 
who,  as  he  descended  from  his  throne,  cried  to  the 
drinkers : 

"  Now,  rest  till  the  star  of  Isis  sets.  Then  follow 
me  to  prayer  at  the  altar  of  Amon,  and  then — to 
battle." 

Fresh  cries  of  triumph  sounded  through  the  room, 
while  Rameses  gave  his  hand  with  a  few  words  of  en- 
couragement to  each  of  his  sons  in  turn.  He  de- 
sired the  two  youngest,  Mernephtah  and  Rameri  to 
follow  him,  and  quitting  the  banquet  with  them  and 
Mena,  he  proceeded,  under  the  escort  of  his  officers 
and  guards,  who  bore  staves  before  him  with  golden 
lilies  and  ostrich-feathers,  to  his  sleeping-tent,  which  was 
surrounded  by  a  corps  d'elite  under  the  command  of 
his  sons.  Before  entering  the  tent  he  asked  for  some 
pieces  of  meat,  and  gave  them  with  his  own  hand  to 
his  lions,  who  let  him  stroke  them  like  tame  cats. 

Then  he  glanced  round  the  stable,  patted  the  sleek 
necks  and  shoulders  of  his  favorite  horses,  and  decided 


*  Herodotus  speaks  of  the  pictures  graven  on  the  rocks  in  the  provinces 
conquered  by  Rameses  II.,  in  memory  of  his  achievements-  He  saw  two, 
one  yf  which  remains  on  a  rock  near  Beyrut. 


UARDA.  217 

that  'Nura'*  and  'Victory  to  Thebes'  should  bear  him 
into  the  battle  on  the  morrow. 

When  he  had  gone  into  the  sleeping-tent,  he  desired 
his  attendants  to  leave  him ;  he  signed  Mena  to  divest 
him  of  his  ornaments  and  his  arms,  and  called  to  him 
his  youngest  sons,  who  were  waiting  respectfully  at  the 
door  of  the  tent. 

"  Why  did  I  desire  you  to  accompany  me  ?"  he 
asked  them  gravely.  Both  were  silent,  and  he  repeated 
his  question. 

"Because,"  said  Rameri  at  length,  "you  observed 
that  all  was  not  quite  right  between  us  two." 

"  And  because,"  continued  the  king,  "  I  desire  that 
unity  should  exist  between  my  children.  You  will  have 
enemies  enough  to  fight  with  to-morrow,  but  friends  are 
not  often  to  be  found,  and  are  too  often  taken  from  us 
by  the  fortune  of  war.  We  ought  to  feel  no  anger  to- 
wards the  friend  we  may  lose,  but  expect  to  meet  him 
lovingly  in  the  other  world.  Speak,  Rameri,  what  has 
caused  a  division  between  you  ?" 

"  I  bear  him  no  ill-will,"  answered  Rameri.  "  You 
lately  gave  me  the  sword  which  Mernephtah  has  there 
stuck  in  his  belt,  because  I  did  my  duty  well  in  the 
last  skirmish  with  the  enemy.  You  know  we  both  sleep 
in  the  same  tent,  and  yesterday,  when  I  drew  my  sword 
out  of  its  sheath  to  admire  the  fine  work  of  the  blade, 
I  found  that  another,  not  so  sharp,  had  been  put  in  its 
place." 

"  I  had  only  exchanged  my  sword  for  his  in  fun," 
interrupted  Mernephtah.  "  But  he  can  never  take  a 
joke,  and  declared  I  want  to  wear  a  prize  that  I  had 

*  The  horses  driven  by  Rameses  at  the  battle  of  Kadesh  were  in  fact 
thus  named. 

36 


2l8  UARDA. 

not  earned ;  he  would  try,  he  said,  to  win  another  and 
then—" 

"  I  have  heard  enough ;  you  have  both  done  wrong," 
said  the  king.  "  Even  in  fun,  Mernephtah,  you  should 
never  cheat  or  deceive.  I  did  so  once,  and  I  will  tell 
you  what  happened,  as  a  warning. 

"  My  noble  mother,  Tuaa,  desired  me,  the  first  time 
I  went  into  Fenchu*  to  bring  her  a  pebble  from  the 
shore  near  Byblos,  where  the  body  of  Osiris  was  washed. 
As  we  returned  to  Thebes,  my  mother's  request  re- 
turned to  my  mind;  I  was  young  and  thoughtless — I 
picked  up  a  stone  by  the  way-side,  took  it  with  me,  and 
when  she  asked  me  for  the  remembrance  from  Byblos 
I  silently  gave  her  the  pebble  from  Thebes.  She  was 
delighted,  she  showed  it  to  her  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  laid  it  by  the  statues  of  her  ancestors ;  but  I  was 
miserable  with  shame  and  penitence,  and  at  last  I  se- 
cretly took  away  the  stone,  and  threw  it  into  the  water. 
All  the  servants  were  called  together,  and  strict  enquiry 
was  made  as  to  the  theft  of  the  stone;  then  I  could 
hold  out  no  longer,  and  confessed  every  thing.  No  one 
punished  me,  and  yet  I  never  suffered  more  severely; 
from  that  time  I  have  never  deviated  from  the  exact 
truth  even  in  jest.  Take  the  lesson  to  heart,  Merneph- 
tah— you,  Rameri,  take  back  your  sword,  and,  believe 
me,  life  brings  us  so  many  real  causes  of  vexation,  that 
it  is  well  to  learn  early  to  pass  lightly  over  little  things 
if  you  do  not  wish  to  become  a  surly  fellow  like  the 
pioneer  Paaker ;  and  that  seems  far  from  likely  with  a 
gay,  reckless  temper  like  yours.  Now  shake  hands  with 
each  other." 

The  young   princes  went    up   to   each  other,   and 

*  Phoenicia  :  on  monuments  of  the  iSth  dynasty. 


UARDA.  219 

Rameri  fell  on  his  brother's  neck  and  kissed  him.  The 
king  stroked  their  heads.  "  Now  go  in  peace,"  he 
said,  "  and  to-morrow  you  shall  both  strive  to  win  a 
fresh  mark  of  honor." 

When  his  sons  had  left  the  tent,  Rameses  turned  to 
his  charioteer  and  said : 

"  I  have  to  speak  to  you  too  before  the  battle.  I  can 
read  your  soul  through  your  eyes,  and  it  seems  to  me  that 
things  have  gone  wrong  with  you  since  the  keeper  of 
your  stud  arrived  here.  What  has  happened  in  Thebes?" 

Mena  looked  frankly,  but  sadly  at  the  king : 

"My  mother-in-law  Katuti,"  he  said,  "is  managing  my 
estate  very  badly,  pledging  the  land,  and  selling  the  cattle." 

"  That  can  be  remedied,"  said  Rameses  kindly. 
"  You  know  I  promised  to  grant  you  the  fulfilment  of 
a  wish,  if  Nefert  trusted  you  as  perfectly  as  you  be- 
lieve. But  it  appears  to  me  as  if  something  more  nearly 
concerning  you  than  this  were  wrong,  for  I  never  knew 
you  anxious  about  money  and  lands.  Speak  openly ! 
you  know  I  am  your  father,  and  the  heart  and  the  eye 
of  the  man  who  guides  my  horses  in  battle,  must  be 
open  without  reserve  to  my  gaze." 

Mena  kissed  the  king's  robe ;  then  he  said  : 

"  Nefert  has  left  Katuti's  house,  and  as  thou  knowest 
has  followed  thy  daughter,  Bent-Anat,  to  the  sacred 
mountain,  and  to  Megiddo." 

"  I  thought  the  change  was  a  good  one,"  replied 
Rameses.  "  1  leave  Bent-Anat  in  the  care  of  Bent- 
Anat,  for  she  needs  no  other  guardianship,  and  your 
wife  can  have  no  better  protector  than  Bent-Anat." 

"  Certainly  not !"  exclaimed  Mena  with  sincere  em- 
phasis. "  But  before  they  started,  miserable  things  oc- 
curred. Thou  knowest  that  before  she  married  me  she 


22O  UARDA. 

was  betrothed  to  her  cousin,  the  pioneer  Paaker,  and 
he,  during  his  stay  in  Thebes,  has  gone  in  and  out  of 
my  house,  has  helped  Katuti  with  an  enormous  sum  to 
pay  the  debts  of  my  wild  brother-in-law,  and — as  my 
1  stud-keeper  saw  with  his  own  eyes — has  made  presents 
of  flowers  to  Nefert." 

The  king  smiled,  laid  his  hand  on  Mena's  shoulder, 
and  said,  as  he  looked  in  his  face :  "  Your  wife  will 
trust  you,  although  you  take  a  strange  woman  into 
your  tent,  and  you  allow  yourself  to  doubt  her  because 
her  cousin  gives  her  some  flowers !  Is  that  wise  or 
just  ?  I  believe  you  are  jealous  of  the  broad-shouldered 
ruffian  that  some  spiteful  wight  laid  in  the  nest  of  the 
noble  Mohar,  his  father." 

"  No,  that  I  am  not,"  replied  Mena,  "  nor  does  any 
doubt  of  Nefert  disturb  my  soul ;  but  it  torments  me,  it 
nettles  me,  it  disgusts  me,  that  Paaker  of  all  men,  whom 
I  loathe  as  a  venomous  spider,  should  look  at  her  and 
make  her  presents  under  my  very  roof." 

"  He  who  looks  for  faith  must  give  faith,"  said  the  king. 
"And  must  not  I  myself  submit  to  accept  songs  of  praise 
from  the  most  contemptible  wretches  ?  Come — smooth 
your  brow;  think  of  the  approaching  victory,  of  our  re- 
turn home,  and  remember  that  you  have  less  to  forgive 
Paaker  than  he  to  forgive  you.  Now,  pray  go  and  see 
to  the  horses,  and  to-morrow  morning  let  me  see  you  on 
my  chariot  full  of  cheerful  courage — as  I  love  to  see  you." 

Mena  left  the  tent,  and  went  to  the  stables ;  there 
'  he  met  Rameri,  who  was  waiting  to  speak  to  him.  The 
eager  boy  said  that  he  had  always  looked  up  to  him 
and  loved  him  as  a  brilliant  example,  but  that  lately 
he  had  been  perplexed  as  to  his  virtuous  fidelity,  for 
he  had  been  informed  that  Mena  had  taken  a  strange 


UARDA.  221 

woman  into  his  tent — he  who  was  married  to  the  fairest 
and  sweetest  woman  in  Thebes. 

"  I  have  known  her,"  he  concluded,  "  as  well  as  if  I 
were  her  brother ;  and  I  know  that  she  would  die  if  she 
heard  that  you  had  insulted  and  disgraced  her.  Yes, 
insulted  her ;  for  such  a  public  breach  of  faith  is  an  in- 
sult to  the  wife  of  an  Egyptian.  Forgive  my  freedom 
of  speech,  but  who  knows  what  to-morrow  may  bring 
forth — and  I  would  not  for  worlds  go  out  to  battle, 
thinking  evil  of  you." 

Mena  let  Rameri  speak  without  interruption,  and 
then  answered : 

"  You  are  as  frank  as  your  father,  and  have  learned 
from  him  to  hear  the  defendant  before  you  condemn 
him.  A  strange  maiden,  the  daughter  of  the  king  of 
the  Danaids,*  lives  in  my  tent,  but  I  for  months  have 
slept  at  the  door  of  your  father's,  and  I  have  not  once 
entered  my  own  since  she  has  been  there.  Now  sit 
down  by  me,  and  let  me  tell  you  how  it  all  happened. 
We  had  pitched  the  camp  before  Kadesh,  and  there 
was  very  little  for  me  to  do,  as  Rameses  was  still  laid 
up  with  his  wound,  so  I  often  passed  my  time  in 
hunting  on  the  shores  of  the  lake.  One  day  I  went 
as  usual,  armed  only  with  my  bow  and  arrow,  and, 
accompanied  by  my  grey-hounds,**  heedlessly  followed 

*  A  people  of  the  Greeks  at  the  time  of  the  Trojan  war.  They  are  men- 
tioned among  the  nations  of  the  Mediterranean  allied  against  Rameses  III.  The 
Dardaneans,  inhabitants  of  the  Trojan  provinces  of  Dardania,  and  whose  name 
was  used  for  the  Trojans  generally,  are  mentioned  with  the  people  of  Pisidia 
(Pidasa),  Mysia  (Masa),  and  Ilion  (lliuna),  as  allies  of  the  Cheta,  in  the  epos  of 
Pentaur.  It  is  probable  that  the  princes  of  the  islands  near  the  coast  of  Asia 
Minor  would  form  alliances  with  those  of  western  Asia.  Brugsch,  who  sees  in 
the  nations  allied  with  the  Libyans  against  Rameses  III.  Caucasian  mercenaries, 
attempts  to  place  the  Dardaneans  in  Kurdistan. 

*"  Grey-hounds,  trained  to  hunt  hares,  are  represented  in  the  most  ancient 
tombs,  for  instance,  the  Mastaba  at  Meydum,  belonging  to  the  time  of  Snefru 
(four  centuries  B.  C.).  Birch  treats  the  clogs  used  by  the  Egyptians  in  the 
"  Transactions  of  the  Society  of  Biblical  Archaeology,  1875,  pages  172-195. 


222  UARDA. 

a  hare;  a  troop  of  Danaids  fell  upon  me,  bound  me 
with  cords,  and  led  me  into  their  camp.  There  I  was 
led  before  the  judges  as  a  spy,  and  they  had  actually 
condemned  me,  and  the  rope  was  round  my  neck,  when 
their  king  came  up,  saw  me,  and  subjected  me  to  a 
fresh  examination.  I  told  him  the  facts  at  full  length 
— how  I  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  his  people  Avhile 
following  up  my  game,  and  not  as  an  enemy,  and  he 
heard  me  favorably,  and  granted  me  not  only  life  but 
freedom.  He  knew  me  for  a  noble,  and  treated  me  as 
one,  inviting  me  to  feed  at  his  own  table,  and  I  swore 
in  my  heart,  when  he  let  me  go,  that  I  would  make 
him  some  return  for  his  generous  conduct. 

"  About  a  month  after,  we  succeeded  in  surprising 
the  Cheta  position,  and  the  Libyan  soldiers,  among 
other  spoil,  brought  away  the  Danaid  king's  only 
daughter.  I  had  behaved  valiantly,  and  when  we  came 
to  the  division  of  the  spoils  Rameses  allowed  me  to 
choose  first.  I  laid  my  hand  on  the  maid,  the  daughter 
of  my  deliverer  and  host,  I  led  her  to  my  tent,  and 
left  her  there  with  her  waiting-women  till  peace  is 
concluded,  and  I  can  restore  her  to  her  father." 

"  Forgive  my  doubts !"  cried  Rameri  holding  out 
his  hand.  "  Now  I  understand  why  the  king  so  par- 
ticularly enquired  whether  Nefert  believed  in  your  con- 
stancy to  her." 

"  And  what  was  your  answer  ?"  asked  Mena. 

"  That  she  thinks  of  you  day  and  night,  and  never 
for  an  instant  doubted  you.  My  father  seemed  de- 
lighted too,  and  he  said  to  Chamus :  '  He  has  won 
there !' " 

"  He  will  grant  me  some  great  favor,"  said  Mena 
in  explanation,  "if,  when  she  hears  I  have  taken  a 


UARDA.  223 

strange  maiden  to  my  tent  her  confidence  in  me  is  not 
shaken,  Rameses  considers  it  simply  impossible,  but  I 
know  that  I  shall  win.  Why  !  she  must  trust  me." 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

BEFORE  the  battle,*  prayers  were  offered  and  victims 
sacrificed  for  each  division  of  the  army.  Images  of  the 
Gods  were  borne  through  the  ranks  in  their  festal  barks, 
and  miraculous  relics  were  exhibited  to  the  soldiers; 
heralds  announced  that  the  high-priest  had  found 
favorable  omens  in  the  victims  offered  by  the  king,  and 
that  the  haruspices  foretold  a  glorious  victory.  Each 
Egyptian  legion  turned  with  particular  faith  to  the 
standard  which  bore  the  image  of  the  sacred  animal  or 
symbol  of  the  province  where  it  had  been  levied,  but 
each  soldier  was  also  provided  with  charms  and  amulets 
of  various  kinds ;  one  had  tied  to  his  neck  or  arm  a 
magical  text  in  a  little  bag,  another  the  mystic  preserva- 
tive eye,  and  most  of  them  wore  a  scarabneus  in  a  finger- 
ring.  Many  believed  themselves  protected  by  having  a 
few  hairs  or  feathers  of  some  sacred  animal,  and  not  a 
few  put  themselves  under  the  protection  of  a  living 
snake  or  beetle  carefully  concealed  in  a  pocket  of  their 
-apron  or  in  their  little  provision-sack. 

When  the  king,  before  whom  were  carried  the  images 
of  the  divine  Triad  of  Thebes,  of  Menth,  the  God  of 
War  and  of  Necheb,  the  Goddess  of  Victory,  reviewed 
the  ranks,  he  was  borne  in  a  litter  on  the  shoulders  of 
twenty-four  noble  youths ;  at  his  approach  the  whole 
host  fell  on  their  knees,  and  did  not  rise  till  Rameses, 

*  The  battle  about  to  be  described  is  taken  entirely  from  the  epos  of  Pentaur. 


224  UARDA. 

descending  from  his  position,  had,  in  the  presence  of 
them  all,  burned  incense,  and  made  a  libation  to  the 
Gods,  and  his  son  Chamus  had  delivered  to  him,  in  the 
name  of  the  Immortals,  the  symbols  of  life  and  power. 
Finally,  the  priests  sang  a  choral  hymn  to  the  Sun-god 
Ra,  and  to  his  son  and  vicar  on  earth,  the  king. 

Just  as  the  troops  were  put  in  motion,  the  paling 
stars  appeared  in  the  sky,  which  had  hitherto  been 
covered  with  thick  clouds;  and  this  occurrence  was  re- 
garded as  a  favorable  omen,  the  priests  declaring  to  the 
army  that,  as  the  coming  Ra  had  dispersed  the  clouds, 
so  the  Pharaoh  would  scatter  his  enemies. 

With  no  sound  of  trumpet  or  drum,  so  as  not  to  arouse 
the  enemy,  the  foot-soldiers  went  forward  in  close  order, 
the  chariot-warriors,  each  in  his  light  two-wheeled  chariot 
drawn  by  two  horses,  formed  their  ranks,  and  the  king 
placed  himself  at  their  head.  On  each  side  of  the  gilt 
chariot  in  which  he  stood,  a  case  was  fixed,  glittering  with 
precious  stones,  in  which  were  his  bows  and  arrows.  His 
noble  horses  were  richly  caparisoned ;  purple  housings, 
embroidered  with  turquoise  beads,  covered  their  backs 
and  necks,  and  a  crown-shaped  ornament  was  fixed  on 
their  heads,  from  which  fluttered  a  bunch  of  white 
ostrich-feathers.  At  the  end  of  the  ebony  pole  of  the 
chariot,  were  two  small  padded  yokes,  which  rested  on 
the  necks  of  the  horses,  Avho  pranced  in  front  as  if  play- 
ing with  the  light  vehicle,  pawed  the  earth  with  their 
small  hoofs,  and  tossed  and  curved  their  slender  necks. 

The  king  wore  a  shirt  of  mail,*  over  which  lay  the 
broad  purple  girdle  of  his  apron,  and  on  his  head  was 
the  crown  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt;  behind  him  stood 

*  The  remains  of  a  shirt  of  mail,  dating  from  the  time  of  Scheschenk  T. 
(Sesonchis),  who  belonged  to  the  zad  dynasty,  is  in  the  British  Museum.  ]t  is 
made  of  leather,  on  which  bronze  scales  are  fastened. 


UARDA.  225 

Mena,  who,  with  his  left  hand,  tightly  held  the  reins, 
and  with  his  right  the  shield  which  was  to  protect  his 
sovereign  in  the  fight. 

The  king  stood  like  a  storm-proof  oak,  and  Mena 
by  his  side  like  a  sapling  ash. 

The  eastern  horizon  was  rosy  with  the  approaching 
sun-rise  when  they  quitted  the  precincts  of  the  camp ; 
at  this  moment  the  pioneer  Paaker  advanced  to  meet 
the  king,  threw  himself  on  the  ground  before  him, 
kissed  the  earth,  and,  in  answer  to  the  king's  question 
as  to  why  he  had  come  without  his  brother,  told  him 
that  Horus  was  taken  suddenly  ill.  The  shades  of 
dawn  concealed  from  the  king  the  guilty  color,  which 
changed  to  sallow  paleness,  on  the  face  of  the  pioneer 
— unaccustomed  hitherto  to  lying  and  treason. 

"  How  is  it  with  the  enemy  ?"  asked  Rameses. 

"  He  is  aware,"  replied  Paaker,  "  that  a  fight  is  im- 
pending, and  is  collecting  numberless  hosts  in  the 
camps  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  city.  If  thou 
could'st  succeed  in  falling  on  the  rear  from  the  north 
of  Kadesh,  while  the  foot  soldiers  seize  the  camp  of 
the  Asiatics  from  the  south,  the  fortress  will  be  thine 
before  night.  The  mountain  path  that  thou  must 
follow,  so  as  not  to  be  discovered,  is  not  a  bad  one." 

"  Are  you  ill  as  well  as  your  brother,  man  ?"  asked 
the  king.  "  Your  voice  trembles." 

"  I  was  never  better,"  answered  the  Mohar. 

"  Lead  the  way,"  commanded  the  king,  and  Paakar 
obeyed.  They  went  on  in  silence,  followed  by  the 
vast  troop  of  chariots  through  the  dewy  morning  air, 
first  across  the  plain,  and  then  into  the  mountain 
range.  The  corps  of  Ra,  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows,  preceeded  them  to  clear  the  way ;  they  crossed 


226  UARDA. 

the  narrow  bed  of  a  dry  torrent,  and  then  a  broad 
valley  opened  before  them,  extending  to  the  right  and 
left  and  enclosed  by  ranges  of  mountains. 

"  The  road  is  good,"  said  Rameses,  turning  to 
Mena.  "  The  Mohar  has  learned  his  duties  from  his 
father,  and  his  horses  are  capital.  Now  he  leads  the 
way,  and  points  it  out  to  the  guards,  and  then  in  a 
moment  he  is  close  to  us  again." 

"  They  are  the  golden-bays  of  my  breed,"  said 
Mena,  and  the  veins  started  angrily  in  his  forehead. 
"  My  stud-master  tells  me  that  Katuti  sent  them  to 
him  before  his  departure.  They  were  intended  for 
Nefert's  chariot,  and  he  drives  them  to-day  to  defy 
and  spite  me." 

"  You  have  the  wife — let  the  horses  go,"  said  Ra- 
meses soothingly. 

Suddenly  a  blast  of  trumpets  rang  through  the 
morning  air;  whence  it  came  could  not  be  seen,  and 
yet  it  sounded  close  at  hand. 

Rameses  started  up  and  took  his  battle-axe  from 
his  girdle,  the  horses  pricked  their  ears,  and  Mena  ex- 
claimed— 

"  Those  are  the  trumpets  of  the  Cheta !  I  know 
the  sound." 

A  closed  wagon  with  four  wheels  in  which  the 
king's  lions  were  conveyed,  followed  the  royal  chariot. 

"Let  loose  the  lions!"  cried  the  king,  who  heard 
an  echoing  war  cry,  and  soon  after  saw  the  vanguard 
which  had  preceded  him,  and  which  was  broken  up 
by  the  chariots  of  the  enemy,  flying  towards  him  down 
the  valley  again. 

The  wild  beasts  shook  their  manes  and  sprang  in 
front  of  their  master's  chariot  with  loud  roars.  Mena 


UARDA.  227 

lashed  his  whip,  the  horses  started  forward  and  rushed 
with  frantic  plunges  towards  the  fugitives,  who  however 
could  not  be  brought  to  a  standstill,  or  rallied  by  the 
king's  voice — the  enemy  were  close  upon  them,  cutting 
them  down. 

"  Where  is  Paaker  ?"  asked  the  king.  But  the 
pioneer  had  vanished  as  completely  as  if  the  earth  had 
swallowed  him  and  his  chariot. 

The  flying  Egyptians  and  the  death-dealing 
chariots  of  the  enemy  came  nearer  and  nearer,  the 
ground  trembled,  the  tramp  of  hoofs  and  the  roar  of 
wheels  sounded  louder  and  louder,  like  the  roll  of  a 
rapidly  approaching  storm. 

Then  Rameses  gave  out  a  war  cry,  that  rang  back 
from  the  cliffs  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left  like 
the  blast  of  a  trumpet ;  his  chariot-guard  joined  in  the 
shout — for  an  instant  the  flying  Egyptians  paused,  but 
only  to  rush  on  again  with  double  haste,  in  hope  of 
escape  and  safety :  suddenly  the  war-cry  of  the  enemy 
was  heard  behind  the  king,  mingling  with  the  trumpet- 
call  of  the  Cheta,  and  out  from  a  cross  valley,  which 
the  king  had  passed  unheeded  by — and  into  which 
Paaker  had  disappeared — came  an  innumerable  host  of 
chariots  which,  before  the  king  could  retreat,  had  broken 
through  the  Egyptian  ranks,  and  cut  him  off  from  the 
body  of  his  army.  Behind  him  he  could  hear  the 
roar  and  shock  of  the  battle,  in  front  of  him  he  saw 
the  fugitives,  the  fallen,  and  the  enemy  growing  each 
instant  in  numbers  and  fury.  He  saw  the  whole  danger, 
and  drew  up  his  powerful  form  as  if  to  prove  whether 
it  were  an  equal  match  for  such  a  foe.  Then,  rais- 
ing his  voice  to  such  a  pitch,  that  it  sounded  above 
the  cries  and  groans  of  the  fighting  men,  the  words  of 


225  UARDA. 

command,  the  neighing  of  the  horses,  the  crash  of 
overthrown  chariots,  the  dull  whirr  of  lances  and 
swords,  their  heavy  blows  on  shields  and  helmets,  and 
the  whole  bewildering  tumult  of  the  battle — with  a  loud 
shout  he  drew  his  bow,  and  his  first  arrow  pierced  a 
Cheta  chief. 

His  lions  sprang  forward,  and  carried  confusion 
into  the  hosts  that  were  crowding  down  upon  him,  for 
many  of  their  horses  became  unmanageable  at  the 
roar  of  the  furious  brutes,  overthrew  the  chariots,  and 
so  hemmed  the  advance  of  the  troops  in  the  rear. 
Rameses  sent  arrow  after  arrow,  while  Mena  covered 
him  with  the  shield  from  the  shots  of  the  enemy. 
His  horses  meanwhile  had  carried  him  forward,  and 
he  could  fell  the  foremost  of  the  Asiatics  with  his 
battle-axe ;  close  by  his  side  fought  Rameri  and  three 
other  princes ;  in  front  of  him  were  the  lions. 

The  press  was  fearful,  and  the  raging  of  the  battle 
Avild  and  deafening,  like  the  roar  of  the  surging  ocean 
when  it  is  hurled  by  a  hurricane  against  a  rocky  coast. 

Mena  seemed  to  be  in  two  places  at  once,  for, 
while  he  guided  the  horses  forwards,  backwards,  or  to 
either  hand,  as  the  exigences  of  the  position  de- 
manded, not  one  of  the  arrows  shot  at  the  king 
touched  him.  His  eye  was  everywhere,  the  shield 
always  ready,  and  not  an  eyelash  of  the  young  hero 
trembled,  while  Rameses,  each  moment  more  infuriated, 
incited  his  lions  with  wild  war-cries,  and  with  flash- 
ing eyes  advanced  farther  and  farther  into  the  enemy's 
ranks. 

Three  arrows  aimed,  not  at  the  king  but  at  Mena 
himself,  were  sticking  in  the  charioteer's  shield,  and 


UARDA.  229 

by  chance  he  saw  written  on  the  shaft  of  one  of  them 
the  words  "  Death  to  Mena." 

A  fourth  arrow  whizzed  past  him.  His  eye  fol- 
lowed its  flight,  and  as  he  marked  the  spot  whence  it 
had  come,  a  fifth  wounded  his  shoulder,  and  he  cried 
out  to  the  king  : 

"  We  are  betrayed  !  Look  over  there !  Paaker  is 
fighting  with  the  Cheta." 

-Once  more  the  Mohar  had  bent  his  bow,  and  came 
so  near  to  the  king's  chariot  that  he  could  be  heard 
exclaiming  in  a  hoarse  voice,  as  he  let  the  bowstring 
snap,  "Now  I  will  reckon  with  you — thief!  robber! 
My  bride  is  your  wife,  but  with  this  arrow  I  will  win 
Mena's  widow." 

The  arrow  cut  through  the  air,  and  fell  with  fear- 
ful force  on  the  charioteer's  helmet;  the  shield  fell 
from  his  grasp,  and  he  put  his  hand  to  his  head,  feel- 
ing stunned ;  he  heard  Paaker's  laugh  of  triumph,  he 
felt  another  of  his  enemy's  arrows  cut  his  wrist,  and, 
beside  himself  with  rage,  he  flung  away  the  reins, 
brandished  his  battle-axe,  and  forgetting  himself  and 
his  duty,  sprang  from  the  chariot  and  rushed  upon 
Paaker.  The  Mohar  awaited  him  with  uplifted  sword; 
his  lips  were  white,  his  eyes  bloodshot,  his  wide 
nostrils  trembled  like  those  of  an  over-driven  horse,  and 
foaming  and  hissing  he  flew  at  his  mortal  foe.  The 
king  saw  the  two  engaged  in  a  struggle,  but  he  could 
not  interfere,  for  the  reins  which  Mena  had  dropped 
were  dragging  on  the  ground,  and  his  ungoverned 
horses,  following  the  lions,  carried  him  madly  onwards. 

Most  of  his  comrades  had  fallen,  the  battle  raged 
all  round  him,  but  Rameses  stood  as  firm  as  a  rock, 
held  the  shield  in  front  of  him,  and  swung  the  deadly 


230  UARDA. 

battle-axe ;  he  saw  Rameri  hastening  towards  him  with 
his  horses,  the  youth  was  fighting  like  a  hero,  and 
Rameses  called  out  to  encourage  him :  "  Well  done ! 
a  worthy  grandson  of  Seti !" 

"  I  will  win  a  new  sword !"  cried  the  boy,  and  he 
cleft  the  skull  of  one  of  his  antagonists.  But  he  was 
soon  surrounded  by  the  chariots  of  the  enemy;  the 
king  saw  the  enemy  pull  down  the  young  prince's 
horses,  and  all  his  comrades — among  whom  were  many 
of  the  best  warriors — turn  their  horses  in  flight. 

Then  one  of  the  lions  was  pierced  by  a  lance,  and 
sank  with  a  dying  roar  of  rage  and  pain  that  was  heard 
above  all  the  tumult.  The  king  himself  had  been  grazed 
by  an  arrow,  a  sword  stroke  had  shivered  his  shield, 
and  his  last  arrow  had  been  shot  away. 

Still  spreading  death  around  him,  he  saw  death 
closing  in  upon  him,  and,  without  giving  up  the  struggle, 
he  lifted  up  his  voice  in  fervent  prayer,  calling  on 
Amon  for  support  and  rescue. 

While  thus  in  the  sorest  need  he  was  addressing 
himself  to  the  Lords  of  Heaven,  a  tall  Egyptian  sud- 
denly appeared  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle  and  turmoil 
of  the  battle,  seized  the  reins,  and  sprang  into  the 
chariot  behind  the  king,  to  whom  he  bowed  respect- 
fully. For  the  first  time  Rameses  felt  a  thrill  of  fear. 
Was  this  a  miracle  ?  Had  Amon  heard  his  prayer  ? 

He  looked  half  fearfully  round  at  his  new  chario- 
teer, and  when  he  fancied  he  recognized  the  features 
of  the  deceased  Mohar,  the  father  of  the  traitor  Paaker, 
he  believed  that  Amon  had  assumed  this  aspect,  and 
had  come  himself  to  save  him. 

"  Help  is  at  hand  !"  cried  his  new  companion.     "  If 


UARDA. 


23I 


we  hold  our  own  for  only  a  short  time  longer,  thou  art 
saved,  and  victory  is  ours." 

Then  once  more  Rameses  raised  his  war-cry,  felled 
a  Cheta,  who  was  standing  close  to  him  to  the  ground, 
with  a  blow  on  his  skull,  while  the  mysterious  sup- 
porter by  his  side,  who  covered  him  with  the  shield, 
on  his  part  also  dealt  many  terrible  strokes. 

Thus  some  long  minutes  passed  in  renewed  strife ; 
then  a  trumpet  sounded  above  the  roar  of  the  battle,  and 
this  time  Rameses  recognized  the  call  of  the  Egyptians; 
from  behind  a  low  ridge  on  his  right  rushed  some  thou- 
sands of  men  of  the  foot-legion  of  Ptah  who,  under  the 
command  of  Horus,  fell  upon  the  enemy's  flank.  They 
saw  their  king,  and  the  danger  he  was  in.  They  flung 
themselves  with  fury  on  the  foes  that  surrounded  him, 
dealing  death  as  they  advanced,  and  putting  the  Cheta 
to  flight,  and  soon  Rameses  saw  himself  safe,  and 
protected  by  his  followers. 

But  his  mysterious  friend  in  need  had  vanished. 
He  had  been  hit  by  an  arrow,  and  had  fallen  to  the 
earth — a  quite  mortal  catastrophe;  but  Rameses  still 
believed  that  one  of  the  Immortals  had  come  to  his 
rescue. 

But  the  king  granted  no  long  respite  to  his  horses 
and  his  fighting-men ;  he  turned  to  go  back  by  the 
way  by  which  he  had  come,  fell  upon  the  forces  which 
divided  him  from  the  main  army,  took  them  in  the 
rear  while  they  were  still  occupied  with  his  chariot- 
brigade  which  was  already  giving  way,  and  took  most 
of  the  Asiatics  prisoners  who  escaped  the  arrows  and 
swords  of  the  Egyptians.  Having  rejoined  the  main 
body  of  the  troops,  he  pushed  forwards  across  the  plain 
where  the  Asiatic  horse  and  chariot-legions  were  en- 


232  UARDA. 

gaged  with  the  Egyptian  swordsmen,  and  forced  the 
enemy  back  upon  the  river  Orontes  and  the  lake  of 
Kadesh.  Night-fall  put  an  end  to  the  battle,  though 
early  next  morning  the  struggle  was  renewed. 

Utter  discouragement  had  fallen  upon  the  Asiatic 
allies,  who  had  gone  into  battle  in  full  security  of 
victory;  for  the  pioneer  Paaker  had  betrayed  his  king 
into  their  hands. 

When  the  Pharaoh  had  set  out,  the  best  chariot- 
warriors  of  the  Cheta  were  drawn  up  in  a  spot  con- 
cealed by  the  city,  and  sent  forward  against  Rameses 
through  the  northern  opening  of  the  valley  by  which 
he  was  to  pass,  while  other  troops  of  approved  valor, 
in  all  two  thousand  five  hundred  chariots,  were  to  fall 
upon  him  from  a  cross  valley  where  they  took  up  their 
position  during  the  night. 

These  tactics  had  been  successfully  carried  out, 
and  notwithstanding  the  Asiatics  had  suffered  a  severe 
defeat — besides  losing  some  of  their  noblest  heroes, 
among  them  Titure  their  Chancellor,  and  Chiropasar,* 
the  chronicler  of  the  Cheta  king,  who  could  wield  the 
sword  as  effectively  as  the  pen,  and  Avho,  it  was  in- 
tended, should  celebrate  the  victory  of  the  allies,  and 
perpetuate  its  glory  to  succeeding  generations.  Rameses 
had  killed  one  of  these  with  his  own  hands,  and  his 
unknown  companion  the  other,  and  besides  these  many 
other  brave  captains  of  the  enemy's  troops.  The  king 
was  greeted  as  a  god,  when  he  returned  to  the  camp, 
with  shouts  of  triumph  and  hymns  of  praise. 

Even  the  temple-servants,  and  the  miserable  troops 
from  Upper  Egypt — ground  down  by  the  long  war,  and 

*  These  names  and  titles  occur  as  those  of  fallen  Chetns  on  the  pylon  of 
the  Rrunesseum, 


.       UARDA.  233 

bought  over  by  Ani — were  carried  away  by  the  uni- 
versal enthusiasm,  and  joyfully  hailed  the  hero  and 
king  who  had  successfully  broken  the  stiff  necks  of  his 
enemies. 

The  next  duty  was  to  seek  out  the  dead  and 
wounded ;  among  the  latter  was  Mena ;  Rameri  also 
was  missing,  but  news  was  brought  next  day  that  he 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  he  was 
immediately  exchanged  for  the  princess  who  had  been 
sheltered  in  Mena's  tent. 

Paaker  had  disappeared ;  but  the  bays  which  he 
had  driven  into  the  battle  were  found  unhurt  in  front 
of  his  ruined  and  blood-sprinkled  chariot. 

The  Egyptians  were  masters  of  Kadesh,  and  Che- 
tasar,  the  king  of  the  Cheta,  sued  to  be  allowed  to 
treat  for  peace,  in  his  own  name  and  in  that  of  his 
allies ;  but  Rameses  refused  to  grant  any  terms  till  he 
had  returned  to  the  frontier  of  Egypt.  The  conquered 
peoples  had  no  choice,  and  the  representative  of  the 
Cheta  king — who  himself  was  wounded — and  twelve 
princes  of  the  principal  nations  who  had  fought  against 
Rameses,  were  forced  to  follow  his  victorious  train. 
Every  respect  was  shown  them,  and  they  were  treated 
as  the  king  himself,  but  they  were  none  the  less  his 
prisoners.  The  king  was  anxious  to  lose  no  time,  for 
sad  suspicion  filled  his  heart ;  a  shadow  hitherto  un- 
known to  his  bright  and  genial  nature  had  fallen  upon 
his  spirit. 

This  was  the  first   occasion   on  which  one  of  his 

own  people  had  betrayed  him  to  the  enemy.     Paaker's 

deed  had    shaken  his  friendly  confidence,  and    in  his 

petition  for  peace  the  Cheta  prince  had  intimated  that 

37 


234  UARDA. 

Rameses  might  find  much  in  his  household  to  be  set 
to  rights — perhaps  with  a  strong  hand. 

The  king  felt  himself  more  than  equal  to  cope  with 
Ani,  the  priests,  and  all  whom  he  had  left  in  Egypt ; 
but  it  grieved  him  to  be  obliged  to  feel  any  loss  of 
confidence,  and  it  was  harder  to  him  to  bear  than  any 
reverse  of  fortune.  It  urged  him  to  hasten  his  return 
to  Egypt. 

There  was  another  thing  which  embittered  his 
victory.  Mena,  whom  he  loved  as  his  own  son,  who 
understood  his  lightest  sign,  who,  as  soon  as  he  mounted 
his  chariot,  was  there  by  his  side  like  a  part  of  him- 
self— had  been  dismissed  from  his  office  by  the  judg- 
ment of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  no  longer  drove 
his  horses.  He  himself  had  been  obliged  to  confirm 
this  decision  as  just  and  even  mild,  for  that  man  was 
worthy  of  death  who  exposed  his  king  to  danger  for 
the  gratification  of  his  own  revenge. 

Rameses  had  not  seen  Mena  since  his  struggle 
with  Paaker,  but  he  listened  anxiously  to  the  news 
which  was  brought  him  of  the  progress  of  his  sorely 
wounded  officer. 

The  cheerful,  decided,  and  practical  nature  of  Ra- 
meses was  averse  to  every  kind  of  dreaminess  or  self- 
absorption,  and  no  one  had  ever  seen  him,  even  in 
hours  of  extreme  weariness,  give  himself  up  to  vague 
and  melancholy  brooding;  but  now  he  would  often  sit 
gazing  at  the  ground  in  wrapt  meditation,  and  start 
like  an  awakened  sleeper  when  his  reverie  was  dis- 
turbed by  the  requirements  of  the  outer  world  around 
him.  A  hundred  times  before  he  had  looked  death 
in  the  face,  and  defied  it  as  he  would  any  other  enemy, 
but  now  it  seemed  as  though  he  felt  the  cold  hand  of 


UARDA.  235 

the  mighty  adversary  on  his  heart.  He  could  not 
forget  the  oppressive  sense  of  helplessness  which  had 
seized  him  when  he  had  felt  himself  at  the  mercy  of 
the  unrestrained  horses,  like  a  leaf  driven  by  the  wind, 
and  then  suddenly  saved  by  a  miracle. 

A  miracle  ?  Was  it  really  Amon  who  had  appeared 
in  human  form  at  his  call  ?  Was  he  indeed  a  son  of  the 
Gods,  and  did  their  blood  flow  in  his  veins  ? 

The  Immortals  had  shown  him  peculiar  favor,  but 
still  he  was  but  a  man ;  that  he  realized  from  the  pain 
in  his  wound,  and  the  treason  to  which  he  had  been 
a  victim.  He  felt  as  if  he  had  been  respited  on  the 
very  scaffold.  Yes ;  he  was  a  man  like  all  other  men, 
and  so  he  would  still  be.  He  rejoiced  in  the  obscurity 
that  veiled  his  future,  in  the  many  weaknesses  which 
he  had  in  common  with  those  whom  he  loved,  and 
even  in  the  feeling  that  he,  under  the  same  conditions 
of  life  as  his  contemporaries,  had  more  responsibilities 
than  they. 

Shortly  after  his  victory,  after  all  the  important 
passes  and  strongholds  had  been  conquered  by  his 
troops,  he  set  out  for  Egypt  with  his  train  and 
the  vanquished  princes.  He  sent  two  of  his  sons  to 
Bent-Anat  at  Megiddo,  to  escort  her  by  sea  to  Pelu- 
sium ;  he  knew  that  the  commandant  of  the  harbor  of 
that  frontier  fortress,  at  the  easternmost  limit  of  his 
kingdom,  was  faithful  to  him,  and  he  ordered  that  his 
daughter  should  not  quit  the  ship  till  he  arrived,  to 
secure  her  against  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
Regent.  A  large  part  of  the  material  of  war,  and  most 
of  the  wounded,  were  also  sent  to  Egypt  by  sea. 


236  UARDA. 


CHAPTER    XL. 

NEARLY  three  months  had  passed  since  the  battle  of 
Kadesh,  and  to-day  the  king  was  expected,  on  his  way 
home  with  his  victorious  army,  at  Pelusium,  the  strong- 
hold and  key  of  Egyptian  dominion  in  the  east.*  Splendid 
preparations  had  been  made  for  his  reception,  and  the 
man  who  took  the  lead  in  the  festive  arrangements  with 
a  zeal  that  was  doubly  effective  from  his  composed  de- 
meanor was  no  less  a  person  than  the  Regent  Ani. 

His  chariot  was  to  be  seen  everywhere :  now  he 
was  with  the  workmen,  who  were  to  decorate  triumphal 
arches  with  fresh  flowers;  now  with  the  slaves,  who 
were  hanging  garlands  on  the  wooden  lions  erected  on 
the  road  for  this  great  occasion;  now — and  this  detained 
him  longest — he  watched  the  progress  of  the  immense 
palace  which  was  being  rapidly  constructed  of  wood  on 
the  site  where  formerly  the  camp  of  the  Hyksos  had 
stood,**  in  which  the  actual  ceremony  of  receiving 
the  king  was  to  take  place,  and  where  the  Pharaoh 
and  his  immediate  followers  were  to  reside.  It  had 
been  found  possible,  by  employing  several  thousand 
laborers,  to  erect  this  magnificent  structure,  in  a  few 
weeks,***  and  nothing  was  lacking  to  it  that  could  be 
desired,  even  by  a  king  so  accustomed  as  Rameses  to 

*  See  Lepsius'  "  Chronologic  tier  Aegypter,"  p.  338,  where  all  the  assaults 
the  Nile  valley  endured  from  the  east  are  enumerated. 

**  Pelusium  is  the  Abaris  of  Manetho,  traces  of  the  ancient  walls  with  fort- 
like  projections  still  remain.  According  to  Strabo  its  name  was  derived  from 
"  pelos,"  meaning  the  mud  or  marsh-cily.  See  Ebers'  "  Aegypten  und  die 
Biicher  Mose's,"  p.  209,  and  Lepsius'  Sitzungsberichte  der  Berliner  Akademie 
der  Wisscnschaften,  May  I7th,  1866. 

**  Herodotus  speaks  of  this  wooden  palace  as  having  been  built  at  Daphna; ; 
Diodorus  at  Pelusium.  I  cannot  agree  with  those  who  think  that  the  conspiracy 
of  the  Regent  occurred  under  Rameses  III., and  not  under  Rameses  II.  Sesostris. 
No  doubt  there  was  a  petty  conspiracy  in  the  time  of  Rameses  HI.  to  place  the 
king's  brother  on  the  throne,  but  these  palace-plots  are  spoken  of  elsewhere  and 
were  not  infrequent.  For  instance,  under  Amenemha  1.  (i2th  dynasty),  in 
Papyrus  Sallier  II. 


UARDA.  237 

luxury  and  splendor.  A  high  exterior  flight  of  steps 
led  from  the  garden — which  had  been  created  out  of 
a  waste — to  the  vestibule,  out  of  which  the  banqueting 
hall  opened. 

This  was  of  unusual  height,  and  had  a  vaulted 
wooden  ceiling,  which  was  painted  blue  and  sprinkled 
with  stars,  to  represent  the  night  heavens,  and  which 
Avas  supported  on  pillars  carved,  some  in  the  form  of 
date-palms,  and  some  like  cedars  of  Lebanon;  the 
leaves  and  twigs  consisted  of  artfully  fastened  and 
colored  tissue;  elegant  festoons  of  bluish  gauze  were 
stretched  from  pillar  to  pillar  across  the  hall,  and  in 
the  centre  of  the  eastern  wall  they  were  attached  to  a 
large  shell-shaped  canopy  extending  over  the  throne  of 
the  king,  which  was  decorated  with  pieces  of  green 
and  blue  glass,  of  mother  of  pearl,  of  shining  plates  of 
mica,  and  other  sparkling  objects. 

The  throne  itself  had  the  shape  of  a  buckler, 
guarded  by  two  lions,  which  rested  on  each  side  of  it 
and  formed  the  arms,  and  supported  on  the  backs  of 
four  Asiatic  captives  who  crouched  beneath  its  weight. 
Thick  carpets,  which  seemed  to  have  transported  the 
sea-shore  on  to  the  dry  land — for  their  pale  blue 
ground  was  strewn  with  a  variety  of  shells,  fishes,  and 
water  plants — covered  the  floor  of  the  banqueting  hall, 
in  which  three  hundred  seats  were  placed  by  the 
tables,  for  the  nobles  of  the  kingdom  and  the  officers 
of  the  troops. 

Above  all  this  splendor  hung  a  thousand  lamps, 
shaped  like  lilies  and  tulips,  and  in  the  entrance  hall 
stood  a  huge  basket  of  roses  to  be  strewn  before  the 
king  when  he  should  arrive. 

Even    the    bed-rooms   for    the  king   and    his    suite 


238  UARDA. 

were  splendidly  decorated;  finely  embroidered  purple 
stuffs  covered  the  walls,  a  light  cloud  of  pale  blue 
gauze  hung  across  the  ceiling,  and  giraffe  skins  were 
laid  instead  of  carpets  on  the  floors. 

The  barracks  intended  for  the  soldiers  and  body- 
guard stood  nearer  to  the  city,  as  well  as  the  stable 
buildings,  which  were  divided  from  the  palace  by  the 
garden  which  surrounded  it.  A  separate  pavilion,  gilt 
and  wreathed  with  flowers,  was  erected  to  receive  the 
horses  which  had  carried  the  king  through  the  battle, 
and  which  he  had  dedicated  to  the  Sun-God. 

The  Regent  Ani,  accompanied  by  Katuti,  was 
going  through  the  whole  of  these  slightly  built  struc- 
tures. 

"  It  seems  to  me  all  quite  complete,"  said  the 
widow. 

"  Only  one  thing  I  cannot  make  up  my  mind 
about,"  replied  Am,  "  whether  most  to  admire  your  in- 
ventive genius  or  your  exquisite  taste." 

"  Oh!  let  that  pass,"  said  Katuti  smiling.  "  If  any 
thing  deserves  your  praise  it  is  my  anxiety  to  serve 
you.  How  many  things  had  to  be  considered  before 
this  structure  at  last  stood  complete  on  this  marshy 
spot  where  the  air  seemed  alive  with  disgusting  insects 
— and  now  it  is  finished  how  long  will  it  last  ?" 

Ani  looked  down.     "  How  long  ?"  he  repeated. 

Then  he  continued  :  "  There  is  great  risk  already 
of  the  plot  miscarrying.  Ameni  has  grown  cool,  and 
will  stir  no  further  in  the  matter;  the  troops  on  which 
I  counted  are  perhaps  still  faithful  to  me,  but  much 
too  weak;  the  Hebrews,  who  tend  their  flocks  here,  and 
whom  I  gained  over  by  liberating  them  from  forced 
labor,  have  never  borne  arms.  And  you  know  the 


UARDA.  239 

people.  They  will  kiss  the  feet  of  the  conqueror  if 
they  have  to  wade  up  to  them  through  the  blood  of 
their  children.  Besides — as  it  happens — the  hawk 
which  old  Hekt  keeps  as  representing  me  is  to-day 
pining  and  sick — " 

"  It  will  be  all  the  prouder  and  brighter  to-morrow 
if  you  are  a  man !"  exclaimed  Katuti,  and  her  eyes 
sparkled  with  scorn.  "  You  cannot  now  retreat.  Here 
in  Pelusium  you  welcome  Rameses  as  if  he  were  a 
God,  and  he  accepts  the  honor.  I  know  the  king,  he 
is  too  proud  to  be  distrustful,  and  so  conceited  that 
he  can  never  believe  himself  deceived  in  any  man, 
either  friend  or  foe.  The  man  whom  he  appointed  to 
be  his  Regent,  whom  he  designated  as  the  worthiest 
in  the  land,  he  will  most  unwillingly  condemn.  To- 
day you  still  have  the  ear  of  the  king;  to-morrow  he 
will  listen  to  your  enemies,  and  too  much  has  occurred 
in  Thebes  to  be  blotted  out.  You  are  in  the  position 
of  a  lion  who  has  his  keeper  on  one  side,  and  the 
bars  of  his  cage  on  the  other.  If  you  let  the  moment 
pass  without  striking  you  will  remain  in  the  cage;  but 
if  you  act  and  show  yourself  a  lion  your  keepers  are 
done  for!" 

"  You  urge  me  on  and  on,"  said  Ani.  "  But  sup- 
posing your  plan  were  to  fail,  as  Paaker's  well  con- 
sidered plot  failed  ?" 

"  Then  you  are  no  worse  off  than  you  are  now," 
answered  Katuti.  "  The  Gods  rule  the  elements,  not 
men.  Is  it  likely  that  you  should  finish  so  beautiful  a 
structure  with  such  care  only  to  destroy  it  ?  And  we 
have  no  accomplices,  and  need  none." 

"  But  who  shall  set  the  brand  to  the  room  which 


240  UARDA. 

Nemu  and  the  slave  have  filled  with  straw  and  pitch  ?" 
asked  Ani. 

"  I,"  said  Katuti  decidedly.  "  And  one  who  has 
nothing  to  look  for  from  Rameses." 

"  Who  is  that  ?" 

"  Paaker." 

"  Is  the  Mohar  here  ?"  asked  the  Regent  surprised. 

"You  yourself  have  seen  him." 

"You  are  mistaken,"  said  Ani.     "I  should — " 

"  Do  you  recollect  the  one-eyed,  grey-haired,  black- 
man,  who  yesterday  brought .  me  a  letter  ?  That  was 
my  sister's  son." 

The  Regent  struck  his  forehead — "  Poor  wretch  " 
he  muttered. 

"  He  is  frightfully  altered,"  said  Katuti.  "  He  need 
not  have  blackened  his  face,  for  his  own  mother  would 
not  know  him  again.  He  lost  an  eye  in  his  fight  with 
Mena,  who  also  wounded  him  in  the  lungs  with  a 
thrust  of  his  sword,  so  that  he  breathes  and  speaks 
with  difficulty,  his  broad  shoulders  have  lost  their  flesh, 
and  the  fine  legs  he  swaggered  about  on  have  shrunk 
as  thin  as  a  negro's.  I  let  him  pass  as  my  servant 
without  any  hesitation  or  misgiving.  He  does  not  yet 
know  of  my  purpose,  but  I  am  sure  that  he  would  help 
us  if  a  thousand  deaths  threatened  him.  For  God's 
sake  put  aside  all  doubts  and  fears !  We  will  shake 
the  tree  for  you,  if  you  will  only  hold  out  your  hand 
to-morrow  to  pick  up  the  fruit.  Only  one  thing  I 
must  beg.  Command  the  head  butler  not  to  stint  the 
wine,  so  that  the  guards  may  give  us  no  trouble.  I 
know  that  you  gave  the  order  that  only  three  of  the 
five  ships  which  brought  the  contents  of  your  wine- 
lofts  should  be  unloaded.  I  should  have  thought  that 


UARDA.  241 

the  future  king  of  Egypt  might  have  been  less  anxious 
to  save !" 

Katuti's  lips  curled  with  contempt  as  she  spoke  the 
last  words.  Ani  observed  this  and  said : 

"  You  think  I  am  timid  !  Well,  I  confess  I  would 
far  rather  that  much  which  I  have  done  at  your  in- 
stigation could  be  undone.  I  would  willingly  re- 
nounce this  new  plot,  though  we  so  carefully  planned 
it  when  we  built  and  decorated  this  palace.  I  will 
sacrifice  the  wine;  there  are  jars  of  wine  there  that 
were  old  in  my  father's  time — but  it  must  be  so  !  You 
are  right !  Many  things  have  occurred  which  the  king 
will  not  forgive !  You  are  right,  you  are  right — do 
what  seems  good  to  you.  I  will  retire  after  the  feast  to 
the  Ethiopian  camp." 

"  They  will  hail  you  as  king  as  soon  as  the  usurpers 
have  fallen  in  the  flames,"  cried  Katuti.  "  If  only  a 
few  set  the  example,  the  others  will  take  up  the  cry, 
and  even  though  you  have  offended  Ameni  he  will 
attach  himself  to  you  rather  than  to  Rameses.  Here  he 
comes,  and  I  already  see  the  standards  in  the  distance." 

"  They  are  coming  !"  said  the  Regent.  "  One  thing 
more !  Pray  see  yourself  that  the  princess  Bent-Anat 
goes  to  the  rooms  intended  for  her;  she  must  not  be 
injured." 

"  Still  Bent-Anat  ?"  said  Katuti  with  a  smile  full  of 
meaning  but  without  bitterness.  "  Be  easy,  her  rooms 
are  on  the  ground  lloor,  and  she  shall  be  warned  in 
time." 

Ani  turned  to  leave  her;  he  glanced  once  more  at 
the  great  hall,  and  said  with  a  sigh.  "  My  heart  is 
heavy — I  wish  this  day  and  this  night  were  over!" 

"  You  are  like  this  grand  hall,"  said  Katuti  smiling, 


242  UARDA. 

"  which  is  now  empty,  almost  dismal ;  but  this  evening, 
when  it  is  crowded  with  guests,  it  will  look  very  dif- 
ferent. You  were  born  to  be  a  king,  and  yet  are  not 
a  king;  you  will  not  be  quite  yourself  till  the  crown 
and  sceptre  are  your  own." 

Ani  smiled  too,  thanked  her,  and  left  her;  but 
Katuti  said  to  herself: 

"  Bent-Anat  may  burn  with  the  rest :  I  have  no  in- 
tention of  sharing  my  power  with  her !" 

Crowds  of  men  and  women  from  all  parts  had 
thronged  to  Pelusium,  to  welcome  the  conqueror  and 
his  victorious  army  on  the  frontier.*  Every  great 
temple-college  had  sent  a  deputation  to  meet  Rameses, 
that  from  the  Necropolis  consisting  of  five  members, 
with  Ameni  and  old  Gagabu  at  their  head.  The 
white-robed  ministers  of  the  Gods  marched  in  solemn 
procession  towards  the  bridge  which  lay  across  the 
eastern — Pelusiac — arm  of  the  Nile,  and  led  to  Egypt 
proper — the  land  fertilized  by  the  waters  of  the  sacred 
stream.** 

The  deputation  from  the  temple  of  Memphis  led 
the  procession ;  this  temple  had  been  founded  by  Mena, 
the  first  king  who  wore  the  united  crowns  of  Upper 
and  Lower  Egypt,  and  Chamus,  the  king's  son,  was  the 
high-priest.  The  deputation  from  the  not  less  im- 
portant temple  of  Heliopolis  came  next,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  representatives  of  the  Necropolis  of 
Thebes. 

*  A  fine  picture  of  such  a  festival,  in  honor  of  the  father  of  this  king 
when  he  returned  from  Syria,  still  exists  on  the  north  wall  of  the  Temple  of 
Karnak. 

**  According  to  Herodotus,  the  oracle  of  Amon  declared  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Marca  and  Apis  that  all  the  land  watered  by  the  inundations  of  the  Nile 
was  Kgypt. 


UARDA.  243 

A  few  only  of  the  members  of  these  deputations 
wore  the  modest  white  robe  of  the  simple  priest ;  most 
of  them  were  invested  with  the  panther-skin  which 
was  worn  by  the  prophets.  Each  bore  a  staff  dec- 
orated with  roses,  lilies,  and  green  branches,  and  many 
carried  censers  in  the  form  of  a  golden  arm  with  in- 
cense in  the  hollow  of  the  hand,  to  be  burnt  before 
the  king.  Among  the  deputies  from  the  priesthood 
at  Thebes  were  several  women  of  high  rank,  who 
served  in  the  worship  of  this  God,  and  among  them 
was  Katuti,  who  by  the  particular  desire  of  the  Regent 
had  lately  been  admitted  to  this  noble  sisterhood.* 

Ameni  walked  thoughtfully  by  the  side  of  the 
prophet  Gagabu. 

"  How  differently  everything  has  happened  from 
what  we  hoped  and  intended  !"  said  Gagabu  in  a  low 
voice.  "  We  are  like  ambassadors  with  sealed  creden- 
tials— who  can  tell  their  contents  ?" 

"  I  welcome  Rameses  heartily  and  joyfully,"  said 
Ameni.  "  After  that  which  happened  to  him  at  Kadesh 
he  will  come  home  a  very  different  man  to  what  he 
was  when  he  set  out.  He  knows  now  what  he  owes 
to  Amon.  His  favorite  son  was  already  at  the  head 
of  the  ministers  of  the  temple  at  Memphis,  and  he 
has  vowed  to  build  magnificent  temples  and  to  bring 
splendid  offerings  to  the  Immortals.  And  Rameses 
keeps  his  word  better  than  that  smiling  simpleton  in 
the  chariot  yonder." 

"  Still  I  am  sorry  for  Ani,"  said  Gagabu. 

"  The  Pharaoh  will  not  punish  him — certainly  not," 


244  UARDA. 

replied  the  high-priest.  "  And  he  will  have  nothing  to 
fear  from  Ani ;  he  is  a  feeble  reed,  the  powerless  sport 
of  every  wind." 

"  And  yet  you  hoped  for  great  things  from  him  !" 
"  Not  from  him,  but  through  him — with  us  for 
his  guides,"  replied  Ameni  in  a  low  voice  but  with 
emphasis.  "  It  is  his  own  fault  that  I  have  abandoned 
his  cause.  Our  first  wish — to  spare  the  poet  Pentaur — 
he  would  not  respect,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  break 
his  oath,  to  betray  us,  and  to  sacrifice  one  of  the  noblest 
of  God's  creatures,  as  the  poet  was,  to  gratify  a  petty 
grudge.  It  is  harder  to  fight  against  cunning  weakness 
than  against  honest  enmity.  Shall  we  reward  the  man 
who  has  deprived  the  world  of  Pentaur  by  giving  him 
a  crown  ?  It  is  hard  to  quit  the  trodden  way,  and 
seek  a  better — to  give  up  a  half-executed  plan  and 
take  a  more  promising  one ;  it  is  hard,  I  say,  for  the 
individual  man,  and  makes  him  seem  fickle  in  the  eyes 
of  others;  but  we  cannot  see  to  the  right  hand  and 
the  left,  and  if  we  pursue  a  great  end  we  cannot  re- 
main within  the  narrow  limits  which  are  set  by  law 
and  custom  to  the  actions  of  private  individuals.  We 
draw  back  just  as  we  seem  to  have  reached  the  goal, 
we  let  him  fall  whom  we  had  raised,  and  lift  him, 
whom  we  had  stricken  to  the  earth,  to  the  pinnacle 
of  glory,  in  short  we  profess — and  for  thousands  of 
years  have  professed — the  doctrine  that  every  path  is 
a  right  one  that  leads  to  the  great  end  of  securing 
to  the  priesthood  the  supreme  power  in  the  land. 
Rameses,  saved  by  a  miracle,  vowing  temples  to  the 
Gods,  will  for  the  future  exhaust  his  restless  spirit  not 
in  battle  as  a  warrior,  but  in  building  as  an  architect. 
He  will  make  use  of  us,  and  we  can  always  lead  the 


UARDA.  245 

man  who  needs  us.  So  I  now  hail  the  son  of  Seti 
with  sincere  joy." 

Aineni  was  still  speaking  when  the  flags  were 
hoisted  on  the  standards  by  the  triumphal  arches, 
clouds  of  dust  rolled  up  on  the  farther  shore  of  the 
Nile,  and  the  blare  of  trumpets  was  heard. 

First  came  the  horses  which  had  carried  Rameses 
through  the  fight,  with  the  king  himself,  who  drove 
them.  His  eyes  sparkled  with  joyful  triumph  as  the 
people  on  the  farther  side  of  the  bridge  received  him 
Avith  shouts  of  joy,  and  the  vast  multitude  hailed  him 
with  wild  enthusiasm  and  tears  of  emotion,  strewing  in 
his  path  the  spoils  of  their  gardens — flowers,  garlands, 
and  palm-branches. 

Ani  marched  at  the  head  of  the  procession  that 
went  forth  to  meet  him ;  he  humbly  threw  himself  in 
the  dust  before  the  horses,  kissed  the  ground,  and  then 
presented  to  the  king  the  sceptre  that  had  been  en- 
trusted to  him,  lying  on  a  silk  cushion.  The  king  re- 
ceived it  graciously,  and  when  Ani  took  his  robe  to 
kiss  it,  the  king  bent  down  towards  him,  and  touching 
the  Regent's  forehead  with  his  lips,  desired  him  to  take 
the  place  by  his  side  in  the  chariot,  and  fill  the  office 
of  charioteer. 

The  king's  eyes  were  moist  with  grateful  emotion. 
He  had  not  been  deceived,  and  he  could  re-enter  the 
country  for  whose  greatness  and  welfare  alone  he  lived, 
as  a  father,  loving  and  beloved,  and  not  as  a  master  to 
judge  and  punish.  He  was  deeply  moved  as  he  ac- 
cepted the  greetings  of  the  priests,  and  with  them 
offered  up  a  public  prayer.  Then  he  was  conducted 
to  the  splendid  structure  which  had  been  prepared  for 
him  gaily  mounted  the  outside  steps,  and  from  the  top- 


246  UARDA. 

most  stair  bowed  to  his  innumerable  crowd  of  subjects ; 
and  while  lie  awaited  the  procession  from  the  harbor 
which  escorted  Bent-Anat  in  her  litter,  he  inspected  the 
thousand  decorated  bulls  and  antelopes*  which  were 
to  be  slaughtered  as  a  thank-offering  to  the  Gods,  the 
tame  lions  and  leopards,  the  rare  trees  in  whose  branches 
perched  gaily-colored  birds,  the  giraffes,  and  chariots  to 
which  ostriches  were  harnessed,  which  all  marched  past 
him  in  a  long  array. 

Rameses  embraced  his  daughter  before  all  the 
people;  he  felt  as  if  he  must  admit  his  subjects  to  the 
fullest  sympathy  in  the  happiness  and  deep  thankful- 
ness which  filled  his  soul.  His  favorite  child  had 
never  seemed  to  him  so  beautiful  as  this  day,  and  he 
realized  with  deep  emotion  her  strong  resemblance  to 
his  lost  wife.** 

Nefert  had  accompanied  her  royal  friend  as  fan- 
bearer,  and  she  knelt  before  the  king  while  he  gave 
himself  up  to  the  delight  of  meeting  his  daughter. 
Then  he  observed  her,  and  kindly  desired  her  to  rise. 
"  How  much,"  he  said,  "  I  am  feeling  to-day  for  the 
first  time !  I  have  already  learned  that  what  I  formerly 
thought  of  as  the  highest  happiness  is  capable  of  a  yet 
higher  pitch,  and  I  now  perceive  that  the  most  beautiful 
is  capable  of  growing  to  greater  beauty !  A  sun  has 
grown  from  Mena's  star." 

Rameses,  as  he  spoke,  remembered  his  charioteer ; 
for  a  moment  his  brow  was  clouded,  and  he  cast  down 
his  eyes,  and  bent  his  head  in  thought. 

Bcnt-Anat  well  knew  this  gesture  of  her  father's ;   it 

*  The  splendor  of  the  festivities  I  make  Ani  prepnre  seems  pitiful  compared 
with   those   Ptolemy  Philadelphia,    according  to   the  report  of  an  eye  witness, 
Callixenns,  displayed  to  the  Alexandrians  on  a  festal  occasion. 
**  llei  name  was  Isis  Nefert. 


UARDA.  247 

was  the  omen  of  some  kindly,  often  sportive  suggestion, 
such  as  he  loved  to  surprise  his  friends  with. 

He  reflected  longer  than  usual;  at  last  he  looked 
up,  and  his  full  eyes  rested  lovingly  on  his  daughter  as 
he  asked  her : 

"  What  did  your  friend  say  when  she  heard  that  her 
husband  had  taken  a  pretty  stranger  into  his  tent,  and 
harbored  her  there  for  months  ?  Tell  me  the  whole 
truth  of  it,  Bent-Anat." 

"  I  am  indebted  to  this  deed  of  Mena's,  which  must 
certainly  be  quite  excusable  if  you  can  smile  when  you 
speak  of  it,"  said  the  princess,  "  for  it  was  the  cause  of 
his  wife's  coming  to  me.  Her  mother  blamed  her  hus- 
band with  bitter  severity,  but  she  would  not  cease  to 
believe  in  him,  and  left  her  house  because  it  was  im- 
possible for  her  to  endure  to  hear  him  blamed." 

"  Is  this  the  fact  ?"  asked  Rameses. 

Nefert  bowed  her  pretty  head,  and  two  tears  ran 
down  her  blushing  cheeks. 

"  How  good  a  man  must  be,"  cried  the  king,  "  on 
whom  the  Gods  bestow  such  happiness  !  My  lord  Cham- 
berlain, inform  Mena  that  I  require  his  services  at  dinner 
to-day — as  before  the  battle  at  Kadesh.  He  flung  away 
the  reins  in  the  fight  when  he  saw  his  enemy,  and  we  shall 
see  if  he  can  keep  from  flinging  down  the  beaker  when, 
with  his  own  eyes,  he  sees  his  beloved  wife  sitting  at  the 
table. — You  ladies  will  join  me  at  the  banquet." 

Nefert  sank  on  her  knees  before  the  king ;  but  he 
turned  from  her  to  speak  to  the  nobles  and  officers 
who  had  come  to  meet  him,  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
temple  to  assist  at  the  slaughter  of  the  victims,  and 
to  solemnly  renew  his  vow  in  the  presence  of  the 
priests  and  the  people,  to  erect  a  magnificent  temple  in 


248  UARDA. 

Thebes  as  a  thank-offering  for  his  preservation  from 
death.  He  was  received  with  rapturous  enthusiasm ;  his 
road  led  to  the  harbor,  past  the  tents  in  which  lay 
the  wounded,  who  had  been  brought  home  to  Egypt 
by  ship,  and  he  greeted  them  graciously  from  his 
chariot. 

Ani  again  acted  as  his  charioteer;  they  drove  slow- 
ly through  the  long  ranks  of  invalids  and  convalescents, 
but  suddenly  Ani  gave  the  reins  an  involuntary  pull, 
the  horses  reared,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  he 
soothed  them  to  a  steady  pace  again. 

Rameses  looked  round  in  anxious  surprise,  for  at 
the  moment  when  the  horses  had  started,  he  too  had 
felt  an  agitating  thrill — he  thought  he  had  caught  sight 
of  his  preserver  at  Kadesh. 

Had  the  sight  of  a  God  struck  terror  into  the  horses? 
Was  he  the  victim  of  a  delusion  ?  or  was  his  preserver 
a  man  of  flesh  and  blood,  who  had  come  home  from 
the  battle-field  among  the  wounded! 

The  man  who  stood  by  his  side,  and  held  the  reins, 
could  have  informed  him,  for  Ani  had  recognized  Pen- 
taur,  and  in  his  horror  had  given  the  reins  a  perilous 
jerk. 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

THE  king  did  not  return  to  the  great  pavilion  till 
after  sun-down  ;  the  banqueting  hall,  illuminated  with 
a  thousand  lamps,  was  now  filled  with  the  gay  crowd 
of  guests  who  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  king.  All 
bowed  before  him,  as  he  entered,  more  or  less  low, 


UARDA.  249 

each  according  to  his  rank;  he  immediately  seated 
himself  on  his  throne,  surrounded  by  his  children  in  a 
wide  semicircle,  and  his  officers  and  retainers  all 
passed  before  him ;  for  each  he  had  a  kindly  word  or 
glance,  winning  respect  from  all,  and  filling  every  one 
with  joy  and  hope. 

"  The  only  really  divine  attribute  of  my  royal  con^ 
dition,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  is  that  it  is  so  easy  to  a 
king  to  make  men  happy.  My  predecessors  chose  the 
poisonous  Uraeus  as  the  emblem  of  their  authority,  for 
we  can  cause  death  as  quickly  and  certainly  as  the 
venomous  snake;  but  the  power  of  giving  happiness 
dwells  on  our  own  lips,  and  in  our  own  eyes,  and  we 
need  some  instrument  when  we  decree  death." 

"Take  the  Uraeus  crown  from  my  head,"  he  con- 
tinued aloud,  as  he  seated  himself  at  the  feast.  "  To- 
day I  will  wear  a  wreath  of  flowers." 

During  the  ceremony  of  bowing  to  the  king,  two 
men  had  quitted  the  hall — the  Regent  Ani,  and  the 
high-priest  Ameni. 

Ani  ordered  a  small  party  of  the  watch  to  go  and 
seek  out  the  priest  Pentaur  in  the  tents  of  the  wounded 
by  the  harbor,  to  bring  the  poet  quietly  to  his  tent, 
and  to  guard  him  there  till  his  return.  He  still  had 
in  his  possession  the  maddening  potion,  which  he  was 
to  have  given  to  the  captain  of  the  transport-boat,  and 
it  was  open  to  him  still  to  receive  Pentaur  either  as  a 
guest  or  as  a  prisoner.  Pentaur  might  injure  him, 
whether  Katuti's  project  failed  or  succeeded. 

Ameni  left  the  pavilion  to  go  to  see  old  Gagabu, 

who  had  stood  so  long  in  the  heat   of  the  sun   during 

the  ceremony  of  receiving  the  conqueror,  that  he  had 

been    at   last   carried   fainting    to    the    tent    which  he 

33 


250  UARDA. 

shared  with  the  high-priest,  and  which  was  not  far 
from  that  of  the  Regent.  He  found  the  old  man 
much  revived,  and  was  preparing  to  mount  his  chariot 
to  go  to  the  banquet,  when  the  Regent's  myrmidons 
led  Pentaur  past  in  front  of  him.  Ameni  looked  doubt- 
fully at  the  tall  and  noble  figure  of  the  prisoner,  but 
Pentaur  recognized  him,  called  him  by  his  name,  and 
in  a  moment  they  stood  together,  hand  clasped  in 
hand.  The  guards  showed  some  uneasiness,  but 
Ameni  explained  who  he  was. 

The  high-priest  was  sincerely  rejoiced  at  the  pre- 
servation and  restoration  of  his  favorite  disciple,  whom 
for  many  months  he  had  mourned  as  dead;  he  looked 
at  his  manly  figure  with  fatherly  tenderness,  and  de- 
sired the  guards,  who  bowed  to  his  superior  dignity, 
to  conduct  his  friend,  on  his  responsibility,  to  his  tent 
instead  of  to  Ani's. 

There  Pentaur  found  his  old  friend  Gagabu,  who 
wept  with  delight  at  his  safety.  All  that  his  master 
had  accused  him  of  seemed  to  be  forgotten.  Ameni 
had  him  clothed  in  a  fresh  white  robe,  he  was  never 
tired  of  looking  at  him,  and  over  and  over  again 
clapped  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  as  if  he  were  his 
own  son  that  had  been  lost  and  found  again. 

Pentaur,  was  at  once  required  to  relate  all  that  had 
happened  to  him,  and  the  poet  told  the  story  of  his 
captivity  and  liberation  at  Mount  Sinai,  his  meeting 
with  Bent-Anat,  and  how  he  had  fought  in  the  battle 
of  Kadesh,  had  been  wounded  by  an  arrow,  and  found 
and  rescued  by  the  faithful  Kaschta.  He  concealed 
only  his  passion  for  Bent-Anat,  and  the  fact  that  he 
had  preserved  the  king's  life. 

"  About  an  hour  ago,"  he  added,  "  I  was  sitting 


UARDA.  251 

alone  in  my  tent,  watching  the  lights  in  the  palace 
yonder,  when  the  watch  who  are  outside  brought  me 
an  order  from  the  Regent  to  accompany  them  to  his 
tent.  What  can  he  want  with  me  ?  I  always  thought 
he  owed  me  a  grudge." 

Gagabu  and  Ameni  glanced  meaningly  at  each 
other,  and  the  high-priest  then  hastened  away,  as 
already  he  had  remained  too  long  away  from  the  ban- 
quet. Before  he  got  into  his  chariot  he  commanded 
the  guard  to  return  to  their  posts,  and  took  it  upon 
himself  to  inform  the  Regent  that  his  guest  would 
remain  in  his  tent  till  the  festival  was  over;  the  soldiers 
unhesitatingly  obeyed  him. 

Ameni  arrived  at  the  palace  before  them,  and 
entered  the  banqueting-hall  just  as  Ani  was  assigning 
a  place  to  each  of  his  guests.  The  high-priest  went 
straight  up  to  him,  and  said,  as  he  bowed  before 
him : 

"  Pardon  my  long  delay,  but  I  was  detained  by  a 
great  surprise.  The  poet  Pentaur  is  living — as  you 
know.  I  have  invited  him  to  remain  in  my  tent  as 
my  guest,  and  to  tend  the  prophet  Gagabu." 

The  Regent  turned  pale,  he  remained  speechless 
and  looked  at  Ameni  with  a  cold  ghastly  smile ;  but 
he  soon  recovered  himself. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  how  you  have  injured  me  by 
your  unworthy  suspicions ;  I  meant  to  have  restored 
your  favorite  to  you  myself  to-morrow." 

"  Forgive  me,  then,  for  having  anticipated  your 
plan,"  said  Ameni,  taking  his  seat  near  the  king. 

Hundreds  of  slaves  hurried  to  and  fro  loaded  with 
costly  dishes.  Large  vessels  of  richly  wrought  gold  and 
silver  were  brought  into  the  hall  on  wheels,  and  set  on 


252  UARDA. 

the  side-boards.  Children  were  perched  in  the  shells 
and  lotus-flowers  that  hung  from  the  painted  rafters ; 
and  from  between  the  pillars,  that  were  hung  with 
cloudy  transparent  tissues,  they  threw  roses  and  violets 
down  on  the  company.  The  sounds  of  harps  and 
songs  issued  from  concealed  rooms,  and  from  an  altar, 
six  ells  high,  in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  clouds  of  in- 
cense were  wafted  into  space. 

The  king — one  of  whose  titles  was  "  Son  of  the 
Sun," — was  as  radiant  as  the  sun  himself.  His  chil- 
dren were  once  more  around  him,  Mena  was  his  cup- 
bearer as  in  former  times,  and  all  that  was  best  and 
noblest  in  the  land  was  gathered  round  him  to  rejoice 
with  him  in  his  triumph  and  his  return.  Opposite  to 
him  sat  the  ladies,  and  exactly  in  front  of  him,  a  de- 
light to  his  eyes,  Bent-Anat  and  Nefert.  His  injunction 
to  Mena  to  hold  the  wine  cup  steadily  seemed  by  no 
means  superfluous,  for  his  looks  constantly  wandered 
from  the  king's  goblet  to  his  fair  wife,  from  whose  lips 
he  as  yet  had  heard  no  word  of  welcome,  whose  hand 
he  had  not  yet  been  so  happy  as  to  touch. 

All  the  guests  were  in  the  most  joyful  excitement. 
Rameses  related  the  tale  of  his  fight  at  Kadesh,  and 
the  high-priest  of  Heliopolis  observed  :  "  In  later  times 
the  poets  will  sing  of  thy  deeds." 

"  Their  songs  will  not  be  of  my  achievements,"  ex- 
claimed the  king,  "  but  of  the  grace  of  the  Divinity, 
who  so  miraculously  rescued  your  sovereign,  and  gave 
the  victory  to  the  Egyptians  over  an  innumerable 
enemy." 

"  Did  you  see  the  God  with  your  own  eyes  ?  and  in 
what  form  did  he  appear  to  you  ?"  asked  Bent-Anat. 

"  It  is  most  extraordinary,"  said  the  king,  "  but  he 


UARDA.  253 

exactly  resembled  the  dead  father  of  the  traitor  Paaker. 
My  preserver  was  of  tall  stature,  and  had  a  beautiful 
countenance;  his  voice  was  deep  and  thrilling,  and  he 
swung  his  battle-axe  as  if  it  were  a  mere  plaything." 

Ameni  had  listened  eagerly  to  the  king's  words, 
now  he  bowed  low  before  him  and  said  humbly : 
"  If  I  were  younger  I  myself  would  endeavor,  as  was 
the  custom  with  our  fathers,  to  celebrate  this  glorious 
deed  of  a  God  and  of  his  sublime  son  in  a  song 
worthy  of  this  festival ;  but  melting  tones  are  no  longer 
mine,  they  vanish  with  years,  and  the  ear  of  the  listener 
lends  itself  only  to  the  young.  Nothing  is  wanting  to 
thy  feast,  most  lordly  Ani,  but  a  poet,  who  might 
sing  the  glorious  deeds  of  our  monarch  to  the  sound 
of  his  lute,  and  yet — we  have  at  hand  the  gifted  Pen- 
taur,  the  noblest  disciple  of  the  House  of  Seti." 

Bent-Anat  turned  perfectly  white,  and  the  priests 
who  were  present  expressed  the  utmost  joy  and 
astonishment,  for  they  had  long  thought  the  young 
poet,  who  was  highly  esteemed  throughout  Egypt,  to 
be  dead. 

The  king  had  often  heard  of  the  fame  of  Pentaur 
from  his  sons  and  especially  from  Rameri,  and  he 
willingly  consented  that  Ameni  should  send  for  the 
poet,  who  had  himself  borne  arms  at  Kadesh,  in  order 
that  he  should  sing  a  song  of  triumph.  The  Regent 
gazed  blankly  and  uneasily  into  his  wine  cup,  and  the 
high-priest  rose  to  fetch  Pentaur  himself  into  the  pre- 
sence of  the  king. 

During  the  high-priest's  absence,  more  and  more 
dishes  were  served  to  the  company ;  behind  each  guest 
stood  a  silver  bowl  with  rose  water,  in  which  from 
time  to  time  he  could  dip  his  fingers  to  cool  and  clean 


254  UARDA. 

them ;  the  slaves  in  waiting  were  constantly  at  hand 
with  embroidered  napkins  to  wipe  them,*  and  others 
frequently  changed  the  faded  wreaths,  round  the  heads 
and  shoulders  of  the  feasters,  for  fresh  ones. 

"  How  pale  you  are,  my  child !"  said  Rameses  turn- 
ing to  Bent-Anat.  "  If  you  are  tired,  your  uncle  will  no 
doubt  allow  you  to  leave  the  hall ;  though  I  think  you 
should  stay  to  hear  the  performance  of  this  much-lauded 
poet.  After  having  been  so  highly  praised  he  will  find 
it  difficult  to  satisfy  his  hearers.  But  indeed  I  am  un- 
easy about  you,  my  child — would  you  rather  go  ?" 

The  Regent  had  risen  and  said  earnestly  : 

"  Your  presence  has  done  me  honor,  but  if  you  are 
fatigued  I  beg  you  to  allow  me  to  conduct  you  and  your 
ladies  to  the  apartments  intended  for  you." 

"  I  will  stay,"  said  Bent-Anat  in  a  low  but  decided 
tone,  and  she  kept  her  eyes  on  the  floor,  while  her  heart 
beat  violently,  for  the  murmur  of  voices  told  her  that 
Pentaur  was  entering  the  hall.  He  wore  the  long  white 
robe  of  a  priest  of  the  temple  of  Seti,  and  on  his  forehead 
the  ostrich-feather  which  marked  him  as  one  of  the  in- 
itiated. He  did  not  raise  his  eyes  till  he  stood  close  be- 
fore  the  king;  then  he  prostrated  himself  before  him,  and 
awaited  a  sign  from  the  Pharaoh  before  he  rose  again. 

But  Rameses  hesitated  a  long  time,  for  the  youthful 
figure  before  him,  and  the  glance  that  met  his  own, 
moved  him  strangely.  Was  not  this  the  divinity  of  the 
fight  ?  Was  not  .this  his  preserver  ?  Was  he  again 
deluded  by  a  resemblance,  or  was  he  in  a  dream  ? 

The  guests  gazed  in  silence  at  the  spellbound 
king,  and  at  the  poet;  at  last  Rameses  bowed  his  head, 

*  Napkins  (e/c/aayeFa)  are  mentioned  in  several  of  the  Greek  papyri  in  the 
Louvre ;  and  in  the  pictures  of  banquets  in  ancient  times  servants  carry  them 
over  their  arms. 


UARDA.  253 

Pentaur  rose  to  his  feet,  and  the  bright  color  flew  to 
his  face  as  close  to  him  he  perceived  Bent-Anat. 

"You  fought  at  Kadesh  ?"  asked  the  king. 

"As  thou  sayest,"  replied  Pentaur. 

"You  are  well  spoken  of  as  a  poet,"  said  Rameses, 
"and  we  desire  to  hear  the  wonderful  tale  of  my  preser- 
vation celebrated  in  song.  If  you  will  attempt  it,  let 
a  lute  be  brought  and  sing." 

The  poet  bowed.  "  My  gifts  are  modest,"  he  said, 
"but  I  will  endeavor  to  sing  of  the  glorious  deed,  in  the 
presence  of  the  hero  who  achieved  it,  with  the  aid  of 
the  Gods." 

Rameses  gave  a  signal,  and  Ameni  caused  a  large 
golden  harp  to  be  brought  in  for  his  disciple.  Pentaur 
lightly  touched  the  strings,  leaned  his  head  against  the 
top  of  the  tall  bow  of  the  harp,  for  some  time  lest  in 
meditation;  then  he  drew  himself  up  boldly,  and  struck 
the  chords,  bringing  out  a  strong  and  warlike  music  in 
broad  heroic  rhythm. 

Then  he  began  the  narrative:  how  Rameses  had 
pitched  his  camp  before  Kadesh,  how  he  ordered  his 
troops,  and  how  he  had  taken  the  field  against  the 
Cheta,  and  their  Asiatic  allies.  Louder  and  stronger 
rose  his  tones  when  he  reached  the  turning  point  of  the 
battle,  and  began  to  celebrate  the  rescue  of  the  king; 
and  the  Pharaoh  listened  with  eager  attention  as  Pen- 
taur sang  :* 

"Then  the  king  stood  forth,  and,  radiant  with  courage, 
He  looked  like  the  Sun-god  armed  and  eager  for  battle. 
The  noble  steeds  that  bore  him  into  the  struggle — 
'Victory  to  Thebes'  was  the  name  of  one,  and  the  other 
Was  called  'contented  Nnra' — were  foaled  in  the  stables 
Of  him  we  call  'the  elect,'  'the  beloved  of  Amon,' 
'  Lord  of  truth,'  the  chosen  vicar  of  Ra. 

*  A  literal  translation  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  poem  called  "  The  Epos  of 
Pentaur." 


256  UARDA. 

Up  sprang  the  king  and  threw  himself  on  the  foe, 
The  swaying  ranks  of  the  contemptible  Cheta. 
He  stood  alone — alone,  and  no  man  with  him. 
As  thus  the  king  stood  forth  all  eyes  were  upon  him, 
And  soon  he  was  enmeshed  by  men  and  horses, 
And  by  the  enemy's  chariots,  two  thousand  five  hundred. 
The  foe  behind  hemmed  him  in  and  enclosed  him. 
Dense  the  array  of  the  contemptible  Cheta, 
Dense  the  swarm  of  warriors  out  of  Arad, 
Dense  the  Mysian  host,  the  Pisidian  legions. 
Every  chariot  carried  three  bold  warriors, 
All  his  foes,  and  all  allied  like  brothers. 

"  Not  a  prince  is  with  me,  not  a  captain, 
Not  an  archer,  none  to  guide  my  horses ! 
Fled  the  riders  !  fled  my  troops  and  horse — 
By  my  side  not  one  is  now  left  standing." 
Thus  the  king,  and  raised  his  voice  in  prayer. 
"Great  father  Amon,  I  have  known  Thee  well. 
And  can  the  father  thus  forget  his  son  ? 
Have  I  in  any  deed  forgotten  Thee  ? 
Have  I  done  aught  without  Thy  high  behest 
Or  moved  or  staid  against  Thy  sovereign  will  ? 
Great  am  I — mighty  are  Egyptian  kings — 
But  in  the  sight  of  Thy  commanding  might, 
Small  as  the  chieftain  of  a  wandering  tribe. 
Immortal  Lord,  crush  Thou  this  unclean  people; 
Break  Thou  their  necks,  annihilate  the  heathen. 

And  I — have  I  not  brought  Thee  many  victims, 
And  filled  Thy  temple  with  the  captive  folk  ? 
And  for  Thy  presence  built  a  dwelling  place 
That  shall  endure  for  countless  years  to  come? 
Thy  garners  overflow  with  gifts  from  me. 
I  offered  Thee  the  world  to  swell  Thy  glory, 
And  thirty  thousand  mighty  steers  have  shed 
Their  smoking  blood  on  fragrant  cedar  piles. 
Tall  gateways,  flag-decked  masts,  I  raised  to  Thee, 
And  obelisks  from  Abu  I  have  brought, 
And  built  Thee  temples  of  eternal  stone. 
For  Thee  my  ships  have  brought  across  the  sea 
The  tribute  of  the  nations.     This  I  did — 
When  were  such  things  done  in  the  former  time  ? 

For  dark  the  fate  of  him  who  would  rebel 
Against  Thee:  though  Thy  sway  is  just  and  mild. 
My  father,  Amon — as  an  earthly  son 
His  earthly  father — so  I  call  on  Thee. 
Look  down  from  heaven  on  me,  beset  by  foes, 
By  heathen  foes — the  folk  that  know  Thee  not. 
The  nations  have  combined  against  Thy  son; 
I  stand  alone — alone,  and  no  man  with  me. 
My  foot  and  horse  are  fled,  I  called  aloud 
And  no  one  heard — in  vain  I  called  to  them. 
And  yet  I  say :   the  sheltering  care  of  Amon 
Is  better  succor  than  a  million  men, 
Or  than  ten  thousand  knights,  or  than  a  thousand 
Brothers  and  sons  though  gathered  into  one. 


UARDA.  257 


And  yet  I  say :   the  bulwarks  raised  by  men 
However  strong,  compared  to  Thy  groat  works 
Are  but  vain  shadows,  and  no  human  aid 
Avails  against  the  foe — but  Thy  strong  hand. 
The  counsel  of  Thy  lips  shall  guide  my  way ; 
I  have  obeyed  whenever  Thou  hast  ruled  ; 
I  call  on  Thee — and,  with  my  fame,  Thy  glory 
Shall  fill  the  world,  from  farthest  east  to  west." 

Yea,  his  cry  rang  forth  even  far  as  Hermonthis, 
And  Amon  himself  appeared  at  his  call ;  and  gave  him 
His  hand  and  shouted  in  triumph,  saying  to  the  Pharaoh  : 
"  Help  is  at  hand,  O  Rameses.     I  will  uphold  thee — 
I  thy  father  am  he  who  now  is  thy  succor, 
Bearing  thee  in  my  hands.     For  stronger  and  readier 
I  than  a  hundred  thousand  mortal  retainers ; 
I  am  the  Lord  of  victory  loving  valor  ? 
I  rejoice  in  the  brave  and  give  them  good  counsel, 
And  he  whom  I  counsel  certainly  shall  not  miscarry." 

Then  like  Month,  with  his  right  he  scattered  the  arrows, 
And  with  his  left  he  swung  his  deadly  weapon, 
Felling  the  foe — as  his  foes  are  felled  by  Baal. 
The  chariots  were  broken  and  ihe  drivers  scattered, 
Then  was  the  foe  overthrown  before  his  horses. 
None  found  a  hand  to  fight :   they  could  not  shoot 
Nor  dared  they  hurl  the  spear  but  fled  at  his  coming — 
Headlong  into  the  river. — * 


A  silence  as  of  the  grave  reigned  in  the  vast  hall, 
Rameses  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  poet,  as  though  he 
would  engrave  his  features  on  his  very  soul,  and  com- 
pare them  with  those  of  another  which  had  dwelt 
there  unforgotten  since  the  day  of  Kadesh.  Beyond 
a  doubt  his  preserver  stood  before  him. 

Seized  by  a  sudden  impulse,  he  interrupted  the 
poet  in  the  midst  of  his  stirring  song,  and  cried  out 
to  the  assembled  guests  : 

"  Pay  honor  to  this  man  !  for  the  Divinity  chose 
to  appear  under  his  form  to  save  your  king  when  he 
'  alone,  and  no  man  with  him,'  struggled  with  a  thou- 
sand." 


*    I  have  aviiiled  myself  of  the  help  of   Prof.    Lushington's    tianslation  in 
"  Records  of  the  past,"  edited  by  Dr.  S.  15irch.  Translator. 


258  UARDA. 

"  Hail  to  Pentaur !"  rang  through  the  hall  from  the 
vast  assembly,  and  Nefert  rose  and  gave  the  poet  the 
bunch  of  flowers  she  had  been  wearing  on  her  bosom. 

The  king  nodded  approval,  and  looked  enquiringly  at 
his  daughter ;  Bent- Anat's  eyes  met  his  with  a  glance  of 
intelligence,  and  with  all  the  simplicity  of  an  impulsive 
child,  she  took  from  her  head  the  wreath  that  had  deco- 
rated her  beautiful  hair,  went  up  to  Pentaur,  and 
crowned  him  with  it,  as  it  was  customary  for  a  bride 
to  crown  her  lover  before  the  wedding. 

Rameses  observed  his  daughter's  action  with  some 
surprise,  and  the  guests  responded  to  it  with  loud 
cheering. 

The  king  looked  gravely  at  Bent-Anat  and  the 
young  priest ;  the  eyes  of  all  the  company  were  eagerly 
fixed  on  the  princess  and  the  poet.  The  king  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  the  presence  of  strangers,  and  to  be 
wholly  absorbed  in  thought,  but  by  degrees  a  change 
came  over  his  face,  it  cleared,  as  a  landscape  is  cleared 
from  the  morning  mists  under  the  influence  of  the 
spring  sunshine.  When  he  looked  up  again  his  glance 
was  bright  and  satisfied,  and  Bent-Anat  knew  what  it 
promised  when  it  lingered  lovingly  first  on  her,  and 
then  on  her  friend,  whose  head  was  still  graced  by  the 
wreath  that  had  crowned  hers. 

At  last  Rameses  turned  from  the  lovers,  and  said 
to  the  guests : 

"  It  is  past  midnight,  and  1  will  now  leave  you. 
To-morrow  evening  I  bid  you  all — and  you  especially, 
Pentaur — to  be  my  guests  in  this  banqueting  hall. 
Once  more  fill  your  cups,  and  let  us  empty  them — 
to  a  long  time  of  peace  after  the  victory  which,  by  the 
help  of  the  Gods,  we  have  won.  And  at  the  same 


UARDA.  259 

time  let  us  express  our  thanks  to  my  friend  Ani,  who 
has  entertained  us  so  magnificently,  and  who  has  so 
faithfully  and  zealously  administered  the  affairs  of  the 
kingdom  during  my  absence." 

The  company  pledged  the  king,  who  warmly  shook 
hands  with  the  Regent,  and  then,  escorted  by  his  wand- 
bearers  and  lords  in  waiting,  quitted  the  hall,  after  he 
had  signed  to  Mena,  Ameni,  and  the  ladies  to  follow 
him. 

Nefert  greeted  her  husband,  but  she  immediately 
parted  from  the  royal  party,  as  she  had  yielded  to  the 
urgent  entreaty  of  Katuti  that  she  should  for  this  night 
go  to  her  mother,  to  whom  she  had  so  much  to  tell, 
instead  of  remaining  with  the  princess.  Her  mother's 
chariot  soon  took  her  to  her  tent. 

Rameses  dismissed  his  attendants  in  the  ante-room 
of  his  apartments ;  when  they  were  alone  he  turned  to 
Bent-Anat  and  said  affectionately : 

"  What  was  in  your  mind  when  you  laid  your 
wreath  on  the  poet's  brow  ?" 

"  What  is  in  every  maiden's  mind  when  she  does 
the  like,"  replied  Bent-Anat  with  trustful  frankness. 

"  And  your  father  ?"  asked  the  king. 

"  My  father  knows  that  I  will  obey  him  even  if  he 
demands  of  me  the  hardest  thing — the  sacrifice  of  all 
my  happiness;  but  I  believe  that  he — that  you  love  me 
fondly,  and  I  do  not  forget  the  hour  in  which  you  said 
to  me  that  now  my  mother  was  dead  you  would  be 
father  and  mother  both  to  me,  and  you  would  try  to 
understand  me  as  she  certainly  would  have  understood 
me.  But  what  need  between  us  of  so  many  words. 
I  love  Pentaur — with  a  love  that  is  not  of  yesterday — 
with  the  first  perfect  love  of  my  heart  and  he  has 


260  UARDA. 

proved  himself  worthy  of  that  high  honor.  But  were  he 
ever  so  humble,  the  hand  of  your  daughter  has  the 
power  to  raise  him  above  every  prince  in  the  land." 

"  It  has  such  power,  and  you  shall  exercise  it," 
cried  the  king.  "  You  have  been  true  and  faithful  to 
yourself,  while  your  father  and  protector  left  you  to 
yourself.  In  you  I  love  the  image  of  your  mother,  and 
I  learned  from  her  that  a  true  woman's  heart  can  find 
the  right  path  better  than  a  man's  wisdom.  Now  go 
to  rest,  and  to-morrow  morning  put  on  a  fresh  wreath, 
for  you  will  have  need  of  it,  my  noble  daughter." 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

THE  cloudless  vault  of  heaven  spread  over  the  plain 
of  Pelusium,  the  stars  were  bright,  the  moon  threw  her 
calm  light  over  the  thousands  of  tents  which  shone  as 
white  as  little  hillocks  of  snow.  All  was  silent,  the 
soldiers  and  the  Egyptians,  who  had  assembled  to  wel- 
come the  king,  were  now  all  gone  to  rest. 

There  had  been  great  rejoicing  and  jollity  in  the 
camp ;  three  enormous  vats,  garlanded  with  flowers  and 
overflowing  with  wine,  which  spilt  with  every  move- 
ment of  the  trucks  on  which  they  were  drawn  by 
thirty  oxen,  were  sent  up  and  down  the  little  streets  of 
tents,  and  as  the  evening  closed  in  tavern-booths  were 
erected  in  many  spots  in  the  camp,  at  which  the 
Regent's  servants  supplied  the  soldiers  with  red  and 
white  wine.  The  tents  of  the  populace  were  only 
divided  from  the  pavilion  of  the  Pharaoh  by  the  hastily- 
constructed  garden  in  the  midst  of  which  it  stood,  and 
the  hedge  which  enclosed  it. 


UARDA.  261 

The  tent  of  the  Regent  himself  was  distinguished 
from  all  the  others  by  its  size  and  magnificence ;  to 
the  right  of  it  was  the  encampment  of  the  different 
priestly  deputations,  to  the  left  that  of  his  suite ;  among 
the  latter  were  the  tents  of  his  friend  Katuti,  a  large 
one  for  her  own  use,  and  some  smaller  ones  for  her 
servants.  Behind  Ani's  pavilion  stood  a  tent,  enclosed 
in  a  wall  or  screen  of  canvas,  within  which  old  Hekt  was 
lodged ;  Ani  had  secretly  conveyed  her  hither  on  board 
his  own  boat.  Only  Katuti  and  his  confidential  ser- 
vants knew  who  it  was  that  lay  concealed  in  the  mys- 
teriously shrouded  abode. 

While  the  banquet  was  proceeding  in  the  great 
pavilion,  the  witch  was  sitting  in  a  heap  on  the  sandy 
earth  of  her  conical  canvas  dwelling ;  she  breathed 
with  difficulty,  for  a  weakness  of  the  heart,  against 
which  she  had  long  struggled,  now  oppressed  her  more 
frequently  and  severely ;  a  little  lamp  of  clay  burned 
before  her,  and  on  her  lap  crouched  a  sick  and  ruffled 
hawk ;  the  creature  shivered  from  time  to  time,  closing 
the  filmy  lids  of  his  keen  eyes,  which  glowed  with  a 
dull  fire  when  Hekt  took  him  up  in  her  withered  hand, 
and  tried  to  blow  some  air  into  his  hooked  beak,  still 
ever  ready  to  peck  and  tear  her. 

At  her  feet  little  Scherau  lay  asleep.  Presently 
she  pushed  the  child  with  her  foot.  "  Wake  up,"  she 
said,  as  he  raised  himself  still  half  asleep.  "  You  have 
young  ears — it  seemed  to  me  that  I  heard  a  woman 
scream  in  Ani's  tent.  Do  you  hear  any  thing  ?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  exclaimed  the  little  one.  "  There  is 
a  noise  like  crying,  and  that — that  was  a  scream !  It 
came  from  out  there,  from  Nemu's  tent." 


262  UARDA. 

"  Creep  through  there,"  said  the  witch,  "  and  see 
what  is  happening !" 

The  child  obeyed :  Hekt  turned  her  attention  again 
to  the  bird,  which  no  longer  perched  in  her  lap,  but  lay 
on  one  side,  though  it  still  tried  to  use  its  talons,  when  she 
took  him  up  in  her  hand. 

"It  is  all  over  with  him,"  muttered  the  old  woman, 
"  and  the  one  I  called  Rameses  is  sleeker  than  ever. 
It  is  all  folly  and  yet — and  yet !  the  Regent's  game  is 
over,  and  he  has  lost  it.  The  creature  is  stretching 
itself — its  head  drops — it  draws  itself  up — one  more 
clutch  at  my  dress — now  it  is  dead  !" 

She  contemplated  the  dead  hawk  in  her  lap  for 
some  minutes,  then  she  took  it  up,  flung  it  into  a  corner 
of  the  tent,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Good-bye,  King  Ani.  The  crown  is  not  for  you !" 
Then  she  went  on :  "  What  project  has  he  in  hand  now, 
I  wonder?  Twenty  times  he  has  asked  me  whether 
the  great  enterprise  will  succeed ;  as  if  I  knew  any 
more  than  he !  And  Nemu  too  has  hinted  all  kinds  of 
things,  though  he  would  not  speak  out.  Something  is 
going  on,  and  I — and  I  ?  There  it  comes  again !" 

The  old  woman  pressed  her  hand  to  her  heart  and 
closed  her  eyes,  her  features  were  distorted  with  pain ; 
she  did  not  perceive  Scherau's  return,  she  did  not  hear 
him  call  her  name,  or  see  that,  when  she  did  not  answer 
him,  he  left  her  again.  For  an  hour  or  more  she  re- 
mained unconscious,  then  her  senses  returned,  but  she 
felt  as  if  some  ice-cold  fluid  slowly  ran  through  her 
veins  instead  of  the  warm  blood. 

"  If  I  had  kept  a  hawk  for  myself  too,"  she  mut- 
tered, "it  would  soon  follow  the  other  one  in  the  corner! 
If  only  Ani  keeps  his  word,  and  has  me  embalmed ! 


UARDA.  263 

But  how  can  he  when  he  too  is  so  near  his  end.  They 
will  let  me  rot  and  disappear,  and  there  will  be  no 
future  for  me,  no  meeting  with  Assa." 

The  old  woman  remained  silent  for  a  long  time; 
at  last  she  murmured  hoarsely  with  her  eyes  fixed  on 
the  ground : 

"  Death  brings  release,  if  only  from  the  torment  of 
remembrance.  But  there  is  a  life  beyond  the  grave.  I 
do  not,  I  will  not  cease  to  hope.  The  dead  shall  all 
be  equally  judged,  and  subject  to  the  inscrutable  de- 
crees.— Where  shall  I  find  him  ?  Among  the  blest,  or 
among  the  damned  ?  And  I  ?  It  matters  not !  The 
deeper  the  abyss  into  which  they  fling  me  the  better. 
Can  Assa,  if  he  is  among  the  blest,  remain  in  bliss, 
when  he  sees  to  what  he  has  brought  me  ?  Oh  !  they 
must  embalm  me — I  cannot  bear  to  vanish,  and  rot 
and  evaporate  into  nothingness !" 

While  she  was  still  speaking,  the  dwarf  Nemu  had 
come  into  the  tent;  Scherau,  seeing  the  old  woman 
senseless,  had  run  to  tell  him  that  his  mother  was 
lying  on  the  earth  with  her  eyes  shut,  and  was  dying. 
The  witch  perceived  the  little  man. 

"  It  is  well,"  she  said,  "  that  you  have  come ;  I  shall 
be  dead  before  sunrise." 

"Mother!"  cried  the  dwarf  horrified,  "you  shall 
live,  and  live  better  than  you  have  done  till  now ! 
Great  things  are  happening,  and  for  us !" 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  said  Hekt.  "  Go  away,  Scherau 
— now,  Nemu,  whisper  in  my  ear  what  is  doing  ?" 

The  dwarf  felt  as  if  he  could  not  avoid  the  in- 
fluence of  her  eye,  he  went  up  to  her,  and  said  softly — 

"  The  pavilion,  in  which  the  king  and  his  people 
are  sleeping,  is  constructed  of  wood ;  straw  and  pitch 


264  UARDA. 

are  built  into  the  walls,  and  laid  under  the  boards.  As 
soon  as  they  are  gone  to  rest  we  shall  set  the  tinder 
thing  on  fire.  The  guards  are  drunk  and  sleeping." 

"  Well  thought  of,"  said  Hekt.     "  Did  you  plan  it  ?" 

"  I  and  my  mistress,"  said  the  dwarf  not  without  pride. 

"  You  can  devise  a  plot,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  but 
you  are  feeble  in  the  working  out.  Is  your  plan  a 
secret  ?  Have  you  clever  assistants  ?" 

"  No  one  knows  of  it,"  replied  the  dwarf,  "  but 
Katuti,  Paaker,  and  I ;  we  three  shall  lay  the  brands 
to  the  spots  we  have  fixed  upon.  I  am  going  to  the 
rooms  of  Bent-Anat;  Katuti,  who  can  go  in  and  out 
as  she  pleases,  will  set  fire  to  the  stairs,  which  lead  to 
the  upper  story,  and  which  fall  by  touching  a  spring; 
and  Paaker  to  the  king's  apartments." 

"  Good — good,  it  may  succeed,"  gasped  the  old 
woman.  "  But  what  was  the  scream  in  your  tent  ?" 

The  dwarf  seemed  doubtful  about  answering;  but 
Hekt  went  on : 

"  Speak  without  fear — the  dead  are  sure  to  be  silent." 

The  dwarf,  trembling  with  agitation,  shook  off  his 
hesitation,  and  said : 

"  I  have  found  Uarda,  the  grandchild  of  Pinem, 
who  had  disappeared,  and  I  decoyed  her  here,  for  she 
and  no  other  shall  be  my  wife,  if  Ani  is  king,  and  if 
Katuti  makes  me  rich  and  free.  She  is  in  the  service 
of  the  Princess  Bent-Anat,  and  sleeps  in  her  ante- 
room, and  she  must  not  be  burnt  with  her  mistress. 
She  insisted  on  going  back  to  die  palace,  so,  as  she 
would  fly  to  the  fire  like  a  gnat,  and  I  would  not  have 
her  risk  being  burnt,  I  tied  her  up  fast." 

"  Did  she  not  struggle  ?"  said  Hekt. 

"  Like  a  mad  thing,"   said  the   dwarf.      "  But  the 


UARUA.  265 

Regent's  dumb  slave,  who  was  ordered  by  his  master 
to  obey  me  in  everything  to-day,  helped  me.  We 
tied  up  her  mouth  that  she  might  not  be  heard 
screaming!" 

"  Will  you  leave  her  alone  when  you  go  to  do  your 
errand  ?" 

"  Her  father  is  with  her !" 

"  Kaschta,  the  red-beard  ?"  asked  the  old  woman  in 
surprise.  "  And  did  he  not  break  you  in  pieces  like 
an  earthenware  pot  ?" 

"  He  will  not  stir,"  said  Nemu  laughing.  "  For  when 
I  found  him,  I  made  him  so  drunk  with  Ani's  old  wine 
that  he  lies  there  like  a  mummy.  Is  was  from  him 
that  I  learned  where  Uarda  was,  and  I  went  to  her, 
and  got  her  to  come  with  me  by  telling  her  that  her 
father  was  very  ill,  and  begged  her  to  go  to  see  him 
once  more.  She  flew  after  me  like  a  gazelle,  and  when 
she  saw  the  soldier  lying  there  senseless  she  threw  her- 
self upon  him,  and  called  for  water  to  cool  his  head, 
for  he  was  raving  in  his  dreams  of  rats  and  mice  that 
had  fallen  upon  him.  As  it  grew  late  she  wanted  to 
return  to  her  mistress,  and  we  were  obliged  to  prevent 
her.  How  handsome  she  has  grown,  mother;  you  can- 
not imagine  how  pretty  she  is." 

"  Aye,  aye  !"  said  Hekt.  "  You  will  have  to  keep 
an  eye  upon  her  when  she  is  your  wife." 

"  I  will  treat  her  like  the  wife  of  a  noble,"  said 
Nemu.  "  And  pay  a  real  lady  to  guard  her.  But  by 
this  time  Katuti  has  brought  home  her  daughter,  Mena's 
wife;  the  stars  are  sinking  and — there — that  was  the 
first  signal.  When  Katuti  whistles  the  third  time  we 
are  to  go  to  work.  Lend  me  your  fire-box,  mother,  it 
is  better  than  mine." 
39 


266  UARDA. 

"  Take  it,"  said  Hekt.  "  I  shall  never  need  it  again. 
It  is  all  over  with  me !  How  your  hand  shakes !  Hold 
the  wood  firmly,  or  you  will  drop  it  before  you  have 
brought  the  fire." 

The  dwarf  bid  the  old  woman  farewell,  and  she  let 
him  kiss  her  without  moving.  When  he  was  gone,  she 
listened  eagerly  for  any  sound  that  might  pierce  the 
silence  of  the  night,  her  eyes  shone  with  a  keen  light, 
and  a  thousand  thoughts  flew  through  her  restless 
brain.  When  she  heard  the  second  signal  on  Katuti's 
silver  whistle,  she  sat  upright  and  muttered : 

"  That  gallows-bird  Paaker,  his  vain  aunt  and  that 
villain  Ani,  are  no  match  for  Rameses,  even  when  he  is 
asleep.  Ani's  hawk  is  dead ;  he  has  nothing  to  hope 
for  from  Fortune,  and  I  nothing  to  hope  for  from  him. 
But  if  Rameses — if  the  real  king  would  promise  me — 
then  my  poor  old  body — Yes,  that  is  the  thing,  that  is 
what  I  will  do." 

She  painfully  raised  herself  on  her  feet  with  the 
help  of  her  stick,  she  found  a  knife  and  a  small  flask 
which  she  slipped  into  her  dress,  and  then,  bent  and 
trembling,  with  a  last  effort  of  her  remaining  strength 
she  dragged  herself  as  far  as  Nemu's  tent.  Here  she 
found  Uarda  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  Kaschta  lying 
on  the  ground  in  a  heavy  drunken  slumber. 

The  girl  shrank  together  in  alarm  when  she  saw 
the  old  woman,  and  Scherau,  who  crouched  at  her 
side,  raised  his  hands  imploringly  to  the  witch. 

"  Take  this  knife,  boy,"  she  said  to  the  little  one. 
"  Cut  the  ropes  the  poor  thing  is  tied  with.  The 
papyrus  cords  are  strong,*  saw  them  with  the  blade." 

*  Papyrus  was  used  not  only  for  writing  on,  but  also  for  ropes.  The  bridge 
of  boats  on  which  Xerxes  crossed  the  Hellespont  was  fastened  with  cables  of 
papyrus. 


UARDA.  267 

While  the  boy  eagerly  followed  her  instructions 
with  all  his  little  might,  she  rubbed  the  soldier's  temples 
with  an  essence  which  she  had  in  the  bottle,  and  poured 
a  few  drops  of  it  between  his  lips.  Kaschta  came  to 
himself,  stretched  his  limbs,  and  stared  in  astonishment 
at  the  place  in  which  he  found  himself.  She  gave  him 
some  water,  and  desired  him  to  drink  it,  saying,  as 
Uarda  shook  herself  free  from  the  bonds : 

"  The  Gods  have  predestined  you  to  great  things, 
you  white  maiden.  Listen  to  what  I,  old  Hekt,  am 
telling  you.  The  king's  life  is  threatened,  his  and  his 
children's ;  I  purpose  to  save  them,  and  I  ask  no  reward 
but  this — that  he  should  have  my  body  embalmed  and 
interred  at  Thebes.  Swear  to  me  that  you  will  require 
this  of  him  when  you  have  saved  him." 

"  In  God's  name  what  is  happening  ?"  cried  Uarda. 

"  Swear  that  you  will  provide  for  my  burial,"  said 
the  old  woman. 

"  I  swear  it !"  cried  the  girl.  "  But  for  God's  sake — " 

"  Katuti,  Paaker,  and  Nemu  are  gone  to  set  fire  to 
the  palace  when  Rameses  is  sleeping,  in  three  places. 
Do  you  hear,  Kaschta!  Now  hasten,  fly  after  the  in- 
cendiaries, rouse  the  servants,  and  try  to  rescue  the 
king." 

"Oh  fly,  father."  cried  the  girl,  and  they  both 
rushed  away  in  the  darkness. 

"  She  is  honest  and  will  keep  her  word,"  muttered 
Hekt,  and  she  tried  to  drag  herself  back  to  her  own 
tent;  but  her  strength  failed  her  half-way.  Little 
Scherau  tried  to  support  her,  but  he  was  too  weak; 
she  sank  down  on  the  sand,  and  looked  out  into  the 
distance.  There  she  saw  the  dark  mass  of  the  palace, 
from  which  rose  a  light  that  grew  broader  and  broader, 


268  UARDA. 

then  clouds  of  black  smoke,  then  up  flew  the  soaring 
flame,  and  a  swarm  of  glowing  sparks. 

"  Run  into  the  camp,  child,"  she  cried,  "  cry  fire,  and 
wake  the  sleepers." 

Scherau  ran  off  shouting  as  loud  as  he  could. 

The  old  woman  pressed  her  hand  to  her  side,  she 
muttered:  "There  it  is  again."  "In  the  other  world — Assa 
— Assa,"  and  her  trembling  lips  were  silent  for  ever. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

KATUTI  had  kept  her  unfortunate  nephew  Paaker 
concealed  in  one  of  her  servants'  tents.  He  had  escaped 
wounded  from  the  battle  at  Kadesh,  and  in  terrible  pain 
he  had  succeeded,  by  the  help  of  an  ass  which  he  had 
purchased  from  a  peasant,  in  reaching  by  paths  known 
to  hardly  any  one  but  himself,  the  cave  where  he  had 
previously  left  his  brothei.  Here  he  found  his  faithful 
Ethiopian  slave,  who  nursed  him  till  he  was  strong 
enough  to  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Egypt.  He  reached 
Pelusium,  after  many  privations,  disguised  as  an  Ismaelite 
camel-driver ;  he  left  his  servant,  who  might  have  be- 
trayed him,  behind  in  the  cave. 

Before  he  was  permitted  to  pass  the  fortifications, 
whicli  lay  across  the  isthmus  which  parts  the  Mediterra- 
nean from  the  Red  Sea,  and  which  were  intended  to 
protect  Egypt  from  the  incursions  of  the  nomad  tribes 
of  the  Chasu,*  he  was  subjected  to  a  strict  interrogatory, 
and  among  other  questions  was  asked  whether  he  had 
nowhere  met  with  the  traitor  Paaker,  who  was 

*  Ebers,  Acgypten  und  die  13iichcr  Mose  s,  p.  78. 


UARDA.  269 

minutely  described  to  him.  No  one  recognized  in  the 
shrunken,  grey-haired,  one-eyed  camel-driver,  the  broad- 
shouldered,  muscular  and  thick-legged  pioneer.  To  dis- 
guise himself  the  more  effectually,  he  procured  some 
hair-dye* — a  cosmetic  known  in  all  ages — and  blackened 
himself.  Katuti  had  arrived  at  Pelusium  with  Ani 
some  time  before,  to  superintend  the  construction  of 
the  royal  pavilion.  He  ventured  to  approach  her  dis- 
guised as  a  negro  beggar,  with  a  palm-branch  in  his 
hand.  She  gave  him  some  money  and  questioned  him 
concerning  his  native  country,  for  she  made  it  her 
business  to  secure  the  favor  even  of  the  meanest;  but 
though  she  appeared  to  take  an  interest  in  his  an- 
swers, she  did  not  recognize  him;  now  for  the  first 
time  he  felt  secure,  and  the  next  day  he  went  up  to 
her  again,  and  told  her  who  he  was. 

The  widow  was  not  unmoved  by  the  frightful  altera- 
tion in  her  nephew,  and  although  she  knew  that  even 
Ani  had  decreed  that  any  intercourse  with  the  traitor 
was  to  be  punished  by  death,  she  took  him  at  once 
into  her  service,  for  she  had  never  had  greater  need 
than  now  to  employ  the  desperate  enemy  of  the  king 
and  of  her  son-in-law. 

The  mutilated,  despised,  and  hunted  man  kept  him- 
self far  from  the  other  servants,  regarding  the  meaner 
folk  with  undiminished  scorn.  He  thought  seldom,  and 
only  vaguely  of  Katuti's  daughter,  for  love  had  quite 
given  place  to  hatred,  and  only  one  thing  now  seemed 
to  him  worth  living  for — the  hope  of  working  with  others 
to  cause  his  enemies'  downfall,  and  of  being  the  in- 

*  In  my  papyrus  there  are  several  recipes  for  the  preparation  of  hair-dye ; 
one  is  ascribed  to  the  Lady  Schesch,  the  mother  of  Teta,  wife  of  the  first  king 
of  Kgypt.  The  earliest  of  all  the  recipes  preserved  to  us  is  a  prescription  for 
dyeing  the  hair. 


270  UARDA. 

strument  of  their  death;  so  he  offered  himself  to  the 
widow  a  willing  and  welcome  tool,  and  the  dull  flash 
in  his  uninjured  eye  when  she  set  him  the  task  of 
setting  fire  to  the  king's  apartments,  showed  her  that 
in  the  Mohar  she  had  found  an  ally  she  might  depend 
on  to  the  uttermost. 

Paaker  had  carefully  examined  the  scene  of  his  ex- 
ploit before  the  king's  arrival.  Under  the  windows  of 
the  king's  rooms,  at  least  forty  feet  from  the  ground, 
was  a  narrow  parapet  resting  on  the  ends  of  the  beams 
which  supported  the  rafters  on  which  lay  the  floor  of 
the  upper  story  in  Avhich  the  king  slept.  These  rafters 
had  been  smeared  with  pitch,  and  straw  had  been  laid 
between  them,  and  the  pioneer  would  have  known  how 
to  find  the  opening  where  he  was  to  put  in  the  brand  even 
if  he  had  been  blind  of  both  eyes. 

When  Katuti  first  sounded  her  whistle  he  slunk  to 
his  post ;  he  was  challenged  by  no  watchman,  for  the 
few  guards  who  had  been  placed  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  pavilion,  had  all  gone  to  sleep  under  the 
influence  of  the  Regent's  wine.  Paaker  climbed  up  to 
about  the  height  of  two  men  from  the  ground  by 
the  help  of  the  ornamental  carving  on  the  outside  wall 
of  the  palace;  there  a  rope  ladder  was  attached,  he 
clambered  up  this,  and  soon  stood  on  the  parapet, 
above  which  were  the  windows  of  the  king's  rooms,  and 
below  which  the  fire  was  to  be  laid. 

Rameses'  room  was  brightly  illuminated.  Paaker 
could  see  into  it  without  being  seen,  and  could  hear 
every  word  that  was  spoken  Avithin.  The  king  was  sit- 
ting in  an  arm-chair,  and  looked  thoughtfully  at  the 
ground ;  before  him  stood  the  Regent,  and  Mena  stood 


UARDA.  271 

by  his  couch,  holding  in  his  hand  the  king's  sleeping- 
robe. 

Presently  Rameses  raised  his  head,  and  said,  as  he 
offered  his  hand  with  frank  affection  to  Ani : 

"  Let  me  bring  this  glorious  day  to  a  worthy  end, 
cousin.  I  have  found  you  my  true  and  faithful  friend, 
and  I  had  been  in  danger  of  believing  those  over-anxious 
counsellors  who  spoke  evil  of  you.  I  am  never  prone 
to  distrust,  but  a  number  of  things  occurred  together 
that  clouded  my  judgment,  and  I  did  you  injustice.  I 
am  sorry,  sincerely  sorry;  nor  am  I  ashamed  to  apolo- 
gize to  you  for  having  for  an  instant  doubted  your  good 
intentions.  You  are  my  good  friend — and  I  will  prove 
to  you  that  I  am  yours.  There  is  my  hand — take  it; 
and  all  Egypt  shall  know  that  Rameses  trusts  no  man 
more  implicitly  than  his  Regent  Ani.  I  will  ask  you 
to  undertake  to  be  my  guard  of  honor  to-night — we 
will  share  this  room.  I  sleep  here;  when  I  lie  down 
on  my  couch  take  your  place  on  the  divan  yonder." 

Ani  had  taken  Rameses'  offered  hand,  but  now  he 
turned  pale  as  he  looked  down.  Paaker  could  see 
straight  into  his  face,  and  it  was  not  without  difficulty 
that  he  suppressed  a  scornful  laugh. 

Rameses  did  not  observe  the  Regent's  dismay,  for 
he  had  signed  to  Mena  to  come  closer  to  him. 

"  Before  I  sleep,"  said  the  king,  "  I  will  bring  matters 
to  an  end  with  you  too.  You  have  put  your  wife's  con- 
stancy to  a  severe  test,  and  she  has  trusted  you  with  a 
childlike  simplicity  that  is  often  wiser  than  the  argu- 
ments of  sages,  because  she  loved  you  honestly,  and  is 
herself  incapable  of  guile.  I  promised  you  that  I  would 
grant  you  a  wish  if  your  faith  in  her  was  justified.  Now 
tell  me  what  is  your  will?" 


272  UARDA. 

Mena  fell  on  his  knees,  and  covered  the  king's  robe 
with  kisses. 

"  Pardon  !"  he  exclaimed.  "  Nothing  but  pardon. 
My  crime  was  a  heavy  one,  I  know;  but  I  was  driven 
to  it  by  scorn  and  fury — it  was  as  if  I  saw  the  dis- 
honoring hand  of  Paaker  stretched  out  to  seize  my 
innocent  wife,  who,  as  I  now  know,  loathes  him  as  a 
toad — " 

"  What  was  that  ?"  exclaimed  the  king.  "  I  thought 
I  heard  a  groan  outside." 

He  went  up  to  the  window  and  looked  out,  but  he 
did  not  see  the  pioneer,  who  watched  every  motion  of 
the  king,  and  who,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  that  his  in- 
voluntary sigh  of  anguish  had  been  heard,  stretched 
himself  close  under  the  balustrade.  Mena  had  not 
risen  from  his  knees  when  the  king  once  more  turned 
to  him. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said  again.  "  Let  me  be  near  thee 
again  as  before,  and  drive  thy  chariot.  I  live  only 
through  thee,  I  am  of  no  worth  but  through  thee,  and 
by  thy  favor,  my  king,  my  lord,  my  father !" 

Rameses  signed  to  his  favorite  to  rise.  "  Your  re- 
quest was  granted,"  said  he,  "  before  you  made  it.  I  am 
still  in  your  debt  on  your  fair  wife's  account.  Thank 
Nefert — not  me,  and  let  us  give  thanks  to  the  Immortals 
this  day  with  especial  fervor.  What  has  it  not  brought 
forth  for  us !  It  has  restored  to  me  you  two  friends, 
whom  I  regarded  as  lost  to  me,  and  has  given  me  in 
Pentaur  another  son." 

A  low  whistle  sounded  through  the  night  air;  it  was 
Katuti's  last  signal. 

Paaker  blew  up  the  tinder,  laid  it  in  the  hole  under 


UARDA.  273 

the  parapet,  and  then,  unmindful  of  his  own  danger, 
raised  himself  to  listen  for  any  further  words. 

"  I  entreat  thee,"  said  the  Regent,  approaching 
Rameses,  "  to  excuse  me.  I  fully  appreciate  thy  favors, 
but  the  labors  of  the  last  few  days  have  been  too  much 
for  me;  I  can  hardly  stand  on  my  feet,  and  the  guard 
of  honor — " 

"  Mena  will  watch,"  said  the  king.  "  Sleep  in  all 
security,  cousin.  I  will  have  it  known  to  all  men  that  I 
have  put  away  from  me  all  distrust  of  you.  Give  me  my 
night-robe,  Mena.  Nay — one  thing  more  I  must  tell  you. 
Youth  smiles  on  the  young,  Ani.  Bent-Anat  has  chosen 
a  worthy  husband,  my  preserver,  the  poet  Pentaur.  He 
was  said  to  be  a  man  of  humble  origin,  the  son  of  a 
gardener  of  the  House  of  Seti ;  and  now  what  do  I  learn 
through  Ameni  ?  He  is  the  true  son  of  the  dead  Mohar, 
and  the  foul  traitor  Paaker  is  the  gardener's  son.  A  witch 
in  the  Necropolis  changed  the  children.  That  is  the  best 
news  of  all  that  has  reached  me  on  this  propitious  day, 
for  the  Mohar's  widow,  the  noble  Setchem,  has  been 
brought  here,  and  I  should  have  been  obliged  to  choose 
between  two  sentences  on  her  as  the  mother  of  the  vil- 
lain who  has  escaped  us.  Either  I  must  have  sent  her 
to  the  quarries,  or  have  had  her  beheaded  before 
all  the  people — In  the  name  of  the  Gods,  what  is 
that  ?" 

They  heard  a  loud  cry  in  a  man's  voice,  and  at  the 
same  instant  a  noise  as  if  some  heavy  mass  had  fallen  to 
the  ground  from  a  great  height.  Rameses  and  Mena  has- 
tened to  the  window,  but  started  back,  for  they  were  met 
by  a  cloud  of  smoke. 

"  Call  the  watch !"  cried  the  king. 


274  UARDA. 

"  Go,  you,"  exclaimed  Mena  to  Ani.  "  I  will  not 
leave  the  king  again  in  danger." 

Ani  fled  away  like  an  escaped  prisoner,  but  he  could 
not  get  far,  for,  before  he  could  descend  the  stairs  to  the 
lower  story,  they  fell  in  before  his  very  eyes ;  Katuti, 
after  she  had  set  fire  to  the  interior  of  the  palace,  had 
made  them  fall  by  one  blow  of  a  hammer.  Ani  saw 
her  robe  as  she  herself  fled,  clenched  his  fist  with  rage 
as  he  shouted  her  name,  and  then,  not  knowing  what 
he  did,  rushed  headlong  through  the  corridor  into  which 
l:he  different  royal  apartments  opened. 

The  fearful  crash  of  the  falling  stairs  brought  the 
king  and  Mena  also  out  of  the  sleeping-room. 

"  There  lie  the  stairs !  that  is  serious !"  said  the  king 
cooly ;  then  he  went  back  into  his  room,  and  looked  out 
of  a  window  to  estimate  the  danger.  Bright  flames 
were  already  bursting  from  the  northern  end  of  the 
palace,  and  gave  the  grey  dawn  the  brightness  of  day ; 
the  southern  wing  of  the  pavilion  was  not  yet  on  fire. 
Mena  observed  the  parapet  from  which  Paaker  had 
fallen  to  the  ground,  tested  its  strength,  and  found  it 
firm  enough  to  bear  several  persons.  He  looked  round, 
particularly  at  the  wing  not  yet  gained  by  the  flames, 
and  exclaimed  in  a  loud  voice : 

"  The  fire  is  intentional !  it  is  done  on  purpose. — 
See  there  !  a  man  is  squatting  down  and  pushing  a 
brand  into  the  woodwork." 

He  leaped  back  into  the  room,  which  was  now  fill- 
ing with  smoke,  snatched  the  king's  bow  and  quiver, 
which  he  himself  had  hung  up  at  the  bed-head,  took 
careful  aim,  and  with  one  cry  the  incendiary  fell  dead. 

A  few  hours  later  the  dwarf  Nemu  was  found  with 
the  charioteer's  arrow  through  his  heart.  After  setting 


UARDA.  275 

fire  to  Bent-Anat's  rooms,  he  had  determined  to  lay  a 
brand  to  the  wing  of  the  palace  where,  with  the  other 
princes,  Uarda's  friend  Rameri  was  sleeping. 

Mena  had  again  leaped  out  of  window,  and  was 
estimating  the  height  of  the  leap  to  the  ground;  the 
Pharaoh's  room  was  getting  more  and  more  filled  with 
smoke,  and  flames  began  to  break  through  the  seams 
of  the  boards.  Outside  the  palace  as  well  as  within 
every  one  was  waking  up  to  terror  and  excitement. 

"Fire!  fire!  an  incendiary !  Help!  Save  the  king!1' 
cried  Kaschta,  who  rushed  on,  followed  by  a  crowd  of 
guards  whom  he  had  roused;  Uarda  had  flown  to 
call  Bent-Anat,  as  she  knew  the  way  to  her  room.  The 
king  had  got  on  to  the  parapet  outside  the  window 
with  Mena,  and  was  calling  to  the  soldiers. 

"  Half  of  you  get  into  the  house,  and  first  save  the 
princess ;  the  other  half  keep  the  fire  from  catching  the 
south  wing.  I  will  try  to  get  there." 

But  Nemu's  brand  had  been  effectual,  the  flames 
flared  up,  and  the  soldiers  strained  every  nerve  to  con- 
quer them.  Their  cries  mingled  with  the  crackling 
and  snapping  of  the  dry  wood,  and  the  roar  of  the 
flames,  with  the  trumpet  calls  of  the  awakening  troops, 
and  the  beating  of  drums.  The  young  princes  ap- 
peared at  a  window ;  they  had  tied  their  clothes 
together  to  form  a  rope,  and  one  by  one  escaped 
down  it. 

Rameses  called  to  them  with  words  of  encourage- 
ment, but  he  himself  was  unable  to  take  any  means  of 
escape,  for  though  the  parapet  on  which  he  stood  was 
tolerably  wide,  and  ran  round  the  whole  of  the  build- 
ing, at  about  every  six  feet  it  was  broken  by  spaces  of 
about  ten  paces.  The  fire  was  spreading  and  growing, 


276  UARDA. 

and  glowing  sparks  flew  round  him  and  his  companion 
like  chaff  from  the  winnowing  fan. 

"  Bring  some  straw  and  make  a  heap  below !" 
shouted  Rameses,  above  the  roar  of  the  conflagration. 

"  There  is  no  escape  but  by  a  leap  down." 

The  flames  rushed  out  of  the  windows  of  the 
king's  room;  it  was  impossible  to  return  to  it,  but 
neither  the  king  nor  Mena  lost  his  self-possession. 
When  Mena  saw  the  twelve  princes  descending  to  the 
ground,  he  shouted  through  his  hands,  using  them  as 
a  speaking  trumpet,  and  called  to  Rameri,  who  was 
about  to  slip  down  the  rope  they  had  contrived,  the 
last  of  them  all. 

"  Pull  up  the  rope,  and  keep  it  from  injury  till  I 
come." 

Rameri  obeyed  the  order,  and  before  Rameses 
could  interfere,  Mena  had  sprung  across  the  space 
which  divided  one  piece  of  the  balustrade  from  an- 
other. The  king's  blood  ran  cold  as  Mena,  a  second 
time,  ventured  the  frightful  leap ;  one  false  step,  and 
he  must  meet  with  the  same  fearful  death  as  his 
enemy  Paaker. 

While  the  bystanders  watched  him  in  breathless 
silence — while  the  crackling  of  the  wood,  the  roar 
of  the  flames,  and  the  dull  thump  of  falling  timber 
mingled  with  the  distant  chant  of  a  procession  of 
priests  who  were  now  approaching  the  burning  pile, 
Nefert  roused  by  little  Scherau  knelt  on  the  bare 
ground  in  fervent  and  passionate  prayer  to  the  saving 
Gods.  She  watched  every  movement  of  her  husband, 
and  she  bit  her  lips  till  they  bled  not  to  cry  out.  She 
felt  that  he  was  acting  bravely  and  nobly,  and  that  he 
was  lost  if  even  for  an  instant  his  attention  were  dis- 


UARDA.  277 

tracted  from  his  perilous  footing.  Now  he  had  reached 
Rameri,  and  bound  one  end  of  the  rope  made  out  of 
cloaks  and  handkerchiefs,  round  his  body ;  then  he 
gave  the  other  end  to  Rameri,  who  held  fast  to  the 
window-sill,  and  prepared  once  more  to  spring.  Nefert 
saw  him  ready  to  leap,  she  pressed  her  hands  upon 
her  lips  to  repress  a  scream,  she  shut  her  eyes,  and 
when  she  opened  them  again  he  had  accomplished 
the  first  leap,  and  at  the  second  the  Gods  preserved 
him  from  falling  ;  at  the  third  the  king  held  out  his 
hand  to  him,  and  saved  him  from  a  fall.  Then  Rameses 
helped  him  to  unfasten  the  rope  from  round  his  waist 
to  fasten  it  to  the  end  of  a  beam. 

Rameri  now  loosened  the  other  end,  and  followed 
Mena's  example ;  he  too,  practised  in  athletic  exercises 
in  the  school  of  the  House  of  Seti,  succeeded  in  ac- 
complishing the  three  tremendous  leaps,  and  soon  the 
king  stood  in  safety  on  the  ground.  Rameri  followed 
him,  and  then  Mena,  whose  faithful  wife  went  to  meet 
him,  and  wiped  the  sweat  from  his  throbbing  temples. 

Rameses  hurried  to  the  north  wing,  where  Bent- 
Anat  had  her  apartments ;  he  found  her  safe  indeed, 
but  wringing  her  hands,  for  her  young  favorite  Uarda 
had  disappeared  in  the  flames  after  she  had  roused 
her  and  saved  her  with  her  father's  assistance. 

Kaschta  ran  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  burning 
pavilion,  tearing  his  hair ;  now  calling  his  child  in  tones 
of  anguish,  now  holding  his  breath  to  listen  for  an 
answer.  To  rush  at  random  into  the  immense  burn- 
ing building  would  have  been  madness.  The  king 
observed  the  unhappy  man,  and  set  him  to  lead  the 
soldiers,  whom  he  had  commanded  to  hew  down  the 
wall  of  Bent-Anat's  rooms,  so  as  to  rescue  the  girl  who 


278  UARDA. 

might  be  within.       Kaschta  seized  an  axe,  and  raised 
it  to  strike. 

But  he  thought  that  he  heard  blows  from  within 
against  one  of  the  shutters  of  the  ground-floor,  which 
by  Katuti's  orders  had  been  securely  closed ;  he  fol- 
lowed the  sound — he  was  not  mistaken,  the  knocking 
could  be  distinctly  heard. 

With  all  his  might  he  struck  the  edge  of  the  axe 
between  the  shutter  and  the  wall,  and  a  stream  of  smoke 
poured  out  of  the  new  outlet,  and  before  him,  en- 
veloped in  its  black  clouds,  stood  a  staggering  man 
who  held  Uarda  in  his  arms.  Kaschta  sprang  forward 
into  the  midst  of  the  smoke  and  sparks,  and  snatched 
his  daughter  from  the  arms  of  her  preserver,  who  fell  half 
smothered  on  his  knees.  He  rushed  out  into  the  air 
with  his  light  and  precious  burden,  and  as  he  pressed 
his  lips  to  her  closed  eyelids  his  eyes  were  wet,  and 
there  rose  up  before  him  the  image  of  the  woman  who 
bore  her,  the  wife  that  had  stood  as  the  solitary  green 
palm-tree  in  the  desert  waste  of  his  life.  But  only  for 
a  few  seconds — Bent-Anat  herself  took  Uarda  into  her 
care,  and  he  hastened  back  to  the  burning  house. 

He  had  recognized  his  daughter's  preserver ;  it  was 
the  physician  Nebsecht,  who  had  not  quitted  the  princess 
since  their  meeting  on  Sinai,  and  had  found  a  place 
among  her  suite  as  her  personal  physician. 

The  fresh  air  had  rushed  into  the  room  through 
the  opening  of  the  shutter,  the  broad  flames  streamed 
out  of  the  window,  but  still  Nebsecht  was  alive,  for 
his  groans  could  be  heard  through  the  smoke.  Once 
more  Kaschta  rushed  towards  the  window,  the  by- 
standers could  see  that  the  ceiling  of  the  room  was 


UARDA.  279 

about  to  fall,  and  called  out  to  warn  him,  but  he 
was  already  astride  the  sill. 

"  I  signed  myself  his  slave  with  my  blood,"  he 
cried,  "  Twice  he  has  saved  my  child,  and  now  I  will 
pay  my  debt,"  and  he  disappeared  into  the  burning 
room. 

He  soon  reappeared  with  Nebsecht  in  his  arms, 
whose  robe  was  already  scorched  by  the  flames.  He 
could  be  seen  approaching  the  window  with  his  heavy 
burden ;  a  hundred  soldiers,  and  with  them  Pentaur, 
pressed  forward  to  help  him,  and  took  the  senseless 
leech  out  of  the  arms  of  the  soldier,  who  lifted  him 
over  the  window  sill. 

Kaschta  was  on  the  point  of  following  him,  but  be- 
fore he  could  swing  himself  over,  the  beams  above 
gave  way  and  fell,  burying  the  brave  son  of  the 
paraschites. 

Pentaur  had  his  insensible  friend  carried  to  his 
tent,  and  helped  the  physicians  to  bind  up  his  burns. 

When  the  cry  of  fire  had  been  first  raised,  Pentaur 
was  sitting  in  earnest  conversation  with  the  high-priest; 
he  had  learned  that  he  was  not  the  son  of  a  gardener, 
but  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  noblest  families  in  the 
land.  The  foundations  of  life  seemed  to  be  subverted 
under  his  feet,  Ameni's  revelation  lifted  him  out  of 
the  dust  and  set  him  on  the  marble  floor  of  a  palace ; 
and  yet  Pentaur  was  neither  excessively  surprised  nor 
inordinately  rejoiced;  he  was  so  well  used  to  find  his 
joys  and  sufferings  depend  on  the  man  within  him, 
and  not  on  the  circumstances  without. 

As  soon  as  he  heard  the  cry  of  fire,  he  hastened  to 
the  burning  pavilion,  and  when  he  saw  the  king's 
danger,  he  set  himself  at  the  head  of  a  number  of  sol- 


280  UARDA. 

diers  who  had  hurried  up  from  the  camp,  intending 
to  venture  an  attempt  to  save  Rameses  from  the  inside 
of  the  house.  Among  those  who  followed  him  in  this 
hopeless  effort  was  Katuti's  reckless  son,  who  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  valor  before  Kadesh,  and 
who  hailed  this  opportunity  of  again  proving  his 
courage.  Falling  walls  choked  up  the  way  in  front  of 
these  brave  adventurers;  but  it  was  not  till  several 
had  fallen  choked  or  struck  down  by  burning  logs,  that 
they  made  up  their  minds  to  retire — one  of  the  first 
that  was  killed  was  Katuti's  son,  Nefert's  brother. 

Uarda  had  been  carried  into  the  nearest  tent.  Her 
pretty  head  lay  in  Bent-Anat's  lap,  and  Nefert  tried  to 
restore  her  to  animation  by  rubbing  her  temples  with 
strong  essences.  Presently  the  girl's  lips  moved :  with 
returning  consciousness  all  she  had  seen  and  suffered 
during  the  last  hour  or  two  recurred  to  her  mind  ;  she 
felt  herself  rushing  through  the  camp  with  her  father, 
hurrying  through  the  corridor  to  the  princess's  rooms, 
while  he  broke  in  the  doors  closed  by  Katuti's  orders ; 
she  saw  Bent-Anat  as  she  roused  her,  and  conducted 
her  to  safety;  she  remembered  her  horror  when,  just  as 
she  reached  the  door,  she  discovered  that  she  had  left 
in  her  chest  her  jewel,  the  only  relic  of  her  lost 
mother,  and  her  rapid  return  which  was  observed  by 
no  one  but  by  the  leech  Nebsecht. 

Again  she  seemed  to  live  through  the  anguish  she 
had  felt  till  she  once  more  had  the  trinket  safe  in  her 
bosom,  the  horror  that  fell  upon  her  when  she  found 
her  escape  impeded  by  smoke  and  flames,  and  the 
weakness  which  overcame  her;  and  she  felt  as  if  the 
strange  white-robed  priest  once  more  raised  her  in  his 
arms.  She  remembered  the  tenderness  of  his  eyes  as 


UARDA.  2l 

he  looked  into  hers,  and  she  smiled  half  gratefully  but 
half  displeased  at  the  tender  kiss  which  had  been  pressed 
on  her  lips  before  she  found  herself  in  her  father's 
strong  arms. 

"  How  sweet  she  is  !"  said  Bent-Anat.  "  I  believe 
poor  Nebsecht  is  right  in  saying  that  her  mother  was 
the  daughter  of  some  great  man  among  the  foreign 
people.  Look  what  pretty  little  hands  and  feet,  and 
her  skin  is  as  clear  as  Phoenician  glass." 


CHAPTER    XLIV. 

WHILE  the  friends  were  occupied  in  restoring 
Uarda  to  animation,  and  in  taking  affectionate  care  of 
her,  Katuti  was  walking  restlessly  backwards  and  for- 
wards in  her  tent. 

Soon  after  she  had  slipped  out  for  the  purpose  of 
setting  fire  to  the  palace,  Scherau's  cry  had  waked  up 
Nefert,  and  Katuti  found  her  daughter's  bed  empty 
when,  with  blackened  hands  and  limbs  trembling  with 
agitation,  she  came  back  from  her  criminal  task. 

Now  she  waited  in  vain  for  Nemu  and  Paaker. 

Her  steward,  whom  she  sent  on  repeated  messages 
of  enquiry  whether  the  Regent  had  returned,  constantly 
brought  back  a  negative  answer,  and  added  the  infor- 
mation that  he  had  found  the  body  of  old  Hekt  lying 
on  the  open  ground.  The  widow's  heart  sank  with 
fear;  she  was  full  of  dark  forebodings  while  she  lis- 
tened to  the  shouts  of  the  people  engaged  in  putting 
out  the  fire,  the  roll  of  drums,  and  the  trumpets  of 

the  soldiers  railing  each  other  to  the  help  of  the  king. 
40 


282  UARPA. 

To  these  sounds  now  was  added  the  dull  crash  of 
falling  timbers  and  walls. 

A  faint  smile  played  upon  her  thin  lips,  and  she 
thought  to  herself:  "There — that  perhaps  fell  on  the 
king,  and  my  precious  son-in-law,  who  does  not  de- 
serve such  a  fate — if  we  had  not  fallen  into  disgrace, 
and  if  since  the  occurrences  before  Kadesh  he  did  not 
cling  to  his  indulgent  lord  as  a  calf  follows  a  cow." 

She  gathered  fresh  courage,  and  fancied  she  could 
hear  the  voice  of  Ethiopian  troops  hailing  the  Regent 
as  king — could  see  Ani  decorated  with  the  crown  of 
Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  seated  on  Rameses'  throne, 
and  herself  by  his  side  in  rich  though  unpretending 
splendor.  She  pictured  herself  with  her  son  and 
daughter  as  enjoying  Mena's  estate,  freed  from  debt 
and  increased  by  Ani's  generosity,  and  then  a  new,  in- 
toxicating hope  came  into  her  mind.  Perhaps  already 
at  this  moment  her  daughter  was  a  widow,  and  why 
should  she  not  be  so  fortunate  as  to  induce  Ani  to 
select  her  child,  the  prettiest  woman  in  Thebes,  for  his 
wife  ?  Then  she,  the  mother  of  the  queen,  would  be 
indeed  unimpeachable,  and  all-powerful.  She  had  long 
since  come  to  regard  the  pioneer  as  a  tool  to  be  cast 
aside,  nay  soon  to  be  utterly  destroyed ;  his  wealth 
might  probably  at  some  future  time  be  bestowed  upon 
her  son,  who  had  distinguished  himself  at  Kadesh, 
and  whom  Ani  must  before  long  promote  to  be  his 
charioteer  or  the  commander  of  the  chariot  warriors. 

Flattered  by  these  fancies,  she  forgot  every  care  as 
she  walked  faster  and  faster  to  and  fro  in  her  tent. 
Suddenly  the  steward,  whom  she  had  this  time  sent  to 
the  very  scene  of  the  fire,  rushed  into  the  tent,  and 
with  every  token  of  terror  broke  to  her  the  news  that 


UARDA.  283 

the  king  and  his  charioteer  were  hanging  in  mid  air 
on  a  narrow  wooden  parapet,  and  that  unless  some 
miracle  happened  they  must  inevitably  be  killed.  It 
was  said  that  incendiaries  had  occasioned  the  fire,  and 
he,  the  steward,  had  hastened  forward  to  prepare  her 
for  evil  news  as  the  mangled  body  of  the  pioneer, 
which  had  been  identified  by  the  ring  on  his  finger, 
and  the  poor  little  corpse  of  Nemu,  pierced  through 
by  an  arrow,  had  been  carried  past  him. 

Katuti  was  silent  for  a  moment. 

"  And  the  king's  sons  ?  "  she  asked  with  an  anxious 
sigh. 

"  The  Gods  be  praised,"  replied  the  steward,  "  they 
succeeded  in  letting  themselves  down  to  the  ground 
by  a  rope  made  of  their  garments  knotted  together, 
and  some  were  already  safe  when  I  came  away." 

Katuti's  face  clouded  darkly;  once  more  she  sent 
forth  her  messenger.  The  minutes  of  his  absence 
seemed  like  days ;  her  bosom  heaved  in  stormy  agita- 
tion, then  for  a  moment  she  controlled  herself,  and 
again  her  heart  seemed  to  cease  beating — she  closed 
her  eyes  as  if  her  anguish  of  anxiety  was  too  much  for 
her  strength.  At  last,  long  after  sunrise,  the  steward 
reappeared. 

Pale,  trembling,  hardly  able  to  control  his  voice, 
he  threw  himself  on  the  ground  at  her  feet  crying 
out : 

"  Alas !  this  night !  prepare  for  the  worst,  mistress ! 
May  Isis  comfort  thee,  who  saw  thy  son  fall  in  the 
service  of  his  king  and  father !  May  Amon,  the  great 
God  of  Thebes,  give  thee  strength !  Our  pride,  our 
hope,  thy  son  is  slain,  killed  by  a  falling  beam." 

Pale  and  still  as  if  frozen,  Katuti  shed  not  a  tear; 


284  UARDA. 

for  a  minute  she  did  not  speak,  then  she  asked  in  a 
dull  tone : 

"And  Rameses?" 

"  The  Gods  be  praised  !"  answered  the  servant,  "  he 
is  safe — rescued  by  Mena !" 

"  And  Ani  ?" 

"  Burnt ! — they  found  his  body  disfigured  out  of  all 
recognition;  they  knew  him  again  by  the  jewels  he 
wore  at  the  banquet." 

Katuti  gazed  into  vacancy,  and  the  steward  started 
back  as  from  a  mad  woman  when,  instead  of  bursting 
into  tears,  she  clenched  her  small  jewelled  hands,  shook 
her  fists  in  the  air,  and  broke  into  loud,  wild  laughter ; 
then,  startled  at  the  sound  of  her  own  voice,  she  sud- 
denly became  silent  and  fixed  her  eyes  vacantly  on 
the  ground.  She  neither  saw  nor  heard  that  the  cap- 
tain of  the  watch,  who  was  called  "  the  eyes  and  ears  of 
the  king,"  had  come  in  through  the  door  of  her  tent 
followed  by  several  officers  and  a  scribe ;  he  came  up 
to  her,  and  called  her  by  her  name.  Not  till  the 
steward  timidly  touched  her  did  she  collect  her  senses 
like  one  suddenly  roused  from  deep  sleep. 

"  What  are  you  doing  in  my  tent  ?"  she  asked  the 
officer,  drawing  herself  up  haughtily. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  chief  judge  of  Thebes,"  said 
the  captain  of  the  watch  solemnly.  "  I  arrest  you,  and 
hail  you  before  the  high  court  of  justice,  to  defend 
yourself  against  the  grave  and  capital  charges  of  high 
treason,  attempted  regicide,  and  incendiarism." 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  the  widow,  and  a  scornful 
smile  curled  her  lips.  Then  with  her  usual  dignity  she 
pointed  to  a  seat  and  said : 

"  Be  seated  while  I  dress." 


UARDA.  285 

The  officer  bowed,  but  remained  standing  at  the 
door  of  the  tent  while  she  arranged  her  black  hair,  set 
her  diadem  on  her  brow,  opened  her  little  ointment; 
chest,  and  took  from  it  a  small  phial  of  the  rapid 
poison  strychnine,  which  some  months  before  she  had 
procured  through  Nemu  from  the  old  witch  Hekt. 

"  My  mirror !"  she  called  to  a  maid  servant,  who 
squatted  in  a  corner  of  the  tent.  She  held  the  metal 
mirror  so  as  to  conceal  her  face  from  the  captain  of 
the  watch,  put  the  little  flask  to  her  lips  and  emptied 
it  at  one  mouthful.  The  mirror  fell  from  her  hand, 
she  staggered,  a  deadly  convulsion  seized  her — the 
officer  rushed  forward,  and  while  she  fixed  her  dying 
look  upon  him  she  said  : 

"  My  game  is  lost,  but  Ameni — tell  Ameni  that  he 
will  not  win  either." 

She  fell  forward,  murmured  Nefert's  name,  struggled 
convulsively  and  was  dead. 

When  the  draught  of  happiness  which  the  Gods 
prepare  for  some  few  men,  seems  to  flow  clearest  and 
purest,  Fate  rarely  fails  to  infuse  into  it  some  drop  of 
bitterness.  And  yet  we  should  not  therefore  disdain 
it,  for  it  is  that  very  drop  of  bitterness  which  warns 
us  to  drink  of  the  joys  of  life  thankfully,  and  in  mod- 
eration. 

The  perfect  happiness  of  Mena  and  Nefert  was 
troubled  by  the  fearful  death  of  Katuti,  but  both  felt  as 
if  they  now  for  the  first  time  knew  the  full  strength  of 
their  love  for  each  other.  Mena  had  to  make  up  to 
his  wife  for  the  loss  of  mother  and  brother,  and  Nefert 
to  restore  to  her  husband  much  that  he  had  been 
robbed  of  by  her  relatives,  and  they  felt  that  they  had 


286  UARDA. 

met  again  not  merely  for  pleasure  but  to  be  to  each 
other  a  support  and  a  consolation. 

Rameses  quitted  the  scene  of  the  fire  full  of  grati- 
tude to  the  Gods  who  had  shown  such  grace  to  him 
and  his.  He  ordered  numberless  steers  to  be  sacri- 
ficed, and  thanksgiving  festivals  to  be  held  throughout 
the  land ;  but  he  was  cut  to  the  heart  by  the  betrayal 
to  which  he  had  fallen  a  victim.  He  longed — as  he 
always  did  in  moments  when  the  balance  of  his  mind 
had  been  disturbed — for  an  hour  of  solitude,  and 
retired  to  the  tent  which  had  been  hastily  erected  for 
him.  He  could  not  bear  to  enter  the  splendid  pavilion 
which  had  been  Ani's ;  it  seemed  to  him  infested  with 
the  leprosy  of  falsehood  and  treason. 

For  an  hour  he  remained  alone,  and  weighed  the 
worst  he  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  men  against 
that  which  was  good  and  cheering,  and  he  found  that 
the  good  far  outweighed  the  evil.  He  vividly  realized 
the  magnitude  of  his  debt  of  gratitude,  not  to  the 
Immortals  only,  but  also  to  his  earthly  friends,  as  he 
recalled  every  moment  of  this  morning's  experience. 

"  Gratitude,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  was  impressed 
on  you  by  your  mother ;  you  yourself  have  taught  your 
children  to  be  grateful.  Piety  is  gratitude  to  the  Gods, 
and  he  only  is  really  generous  who  does  not  forget  the 
gratitude  he  owes  to  men." 

He  had  thrown  oft"  all  bitterness  of  feeling  when 
he  sent  for  Bent-Anat  and  Pentaur  to  be  brought  to 
his  tent.  He  made  his  daughter  relate  at  full  length 
how  the  poet  had  won  her  love,  and  though  he  fre- 
quently interrupted  her  with  blame  as  well  as  praise, 
his  heart  was  full  of  fatherly  joy  when  he  laid  his  dar* 
ling's  hand  in  that  of  the  poet. 


UARDA.  287 

Bent-Anat  laid  her  head  in  full  content  on  the  breast 
of  the  noble  Assa's  grandson,  but  she  would  have  clung 
not  less  fondly  to  Pentaur  the  gardener's  son. 

"  Now  you  are  one  of  my  own  children,"  said 
Rameses  ;  and  he  desired  the  poet  to  remain  with  him 
while  he  commanded  the  heralds,  ambassadors,  and  in- 
terpreters to  bring  to  him  the  Asiatic  princes,  who  were 
detained  in  their  own  tents  on  the  farther  side  of  the  Nile, 
that  he  might  conclude  with  them  such  a  treaty  of  peace 
as  might  continue  valid  for  generations  to  come.  Before 
they  arrived,  the  young  princes  came  to  their  father's 
tent,  and  learned  from  his  own  lips  the  noble  birth  of 
Pentaur,  and  that  they  owed  it  to  their  sister  that  in  him 
they  saw  another  brother;  they  welcomed  him  with 
sincere  affection,  and  all,  especially  Rameri,  warmly 
congratulated  the  handsome  and  worthy  couple. 

The  king  then  called  Rameri  forward  from  among 
his  brothers,  and  thanked  him  before  them  all  for  his 
brave  conduct  during  the  fire.  He  had  already  been  in- 
vested witli  the  robe  of  manhood*  after  the  battle  of  Ka- 
desh  ;  he  was  now  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  legion 
of  chariot-warriors,  and  the  order  of  the  lion  to  wear 
round  his  neck  was  bestowed  on  him  for  his  bravery.** 
The  prince  knelt,  and  thanked  his  father ;  but  Rameses 
took  the  curly  head  in  his  hands  and  said : 

'•  You  have  won  praise  and  reward  by  your  splen- 
did deeds  from  the  father  whom  you  have  saved  and 


*  The  naval  officer  Ahmes  relates  in  the  biographical  inscription  in  his  tomb 
at  el  Kab  that  he  was  invested  with  the  robe  of  manhood,  and  "  took  a  house," 
or  in  other  words  married. 


2»8  UARDA. 

filled  with  pride.  But  the  king  watches  over  the  laws,* 
and  guides  the  destiny  of  this  land,  the  king  must  blame 
you,  nay  perhaps  punish  you.  You  could  not  yield  to  the 
discipline  of  school,  where  we  all  must  learn  to  obey  if 
we  would  afterwards  exercise  our  authority  with  modera- 
tion, and  without  any  orders  you  left  Egypt  and  joined  the 
army.  You  showed  the  courage  and  strength  of  a  man, 
but  the  folly  of  a  boy  in  all  that  regards  prudence  and 
foresight — things  harder  to  learn  for  the  son  of  a  race  of 
heroes  than  mere  hitting  and  slashing  at  random ;  you, 
without  experience,  measured  yourself  against  masters 
of  the  art  of  war,  and  what  was  the  consequence  ? 
Twice  you  fell  a  prisoner  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
and  I  had  to  ransom  you. 

"  The  king  of  the  Danaids  gave  you  up  in  exchange 
for  his  daughter,  and  he  rejoices  long  since  in  the  restor- 
ation of  his  child;  but  we,  in  losing  her,  lost  the  most 
powerful  means  of  coercing  the  seafaring  nations  of  the 
islands  and  northern  coasts  of  the  great  sea**  who  are 
constantly  increasing  in  might  and  daring,  and  so  dimin- 
ished our  chances  of  securing  a  solid  and  abiding 
peace. 

"  Thus — through  the  careless  wilfulness  of  a  boy,  the 
great  work  is  endangered  which  I  had  hoped  to  have 
achieved.  It  grieves  me  particularly  to  humiliate  your 
spirit  to-day,  when  I  have  had  so  much  reason  to  en- 
courage you  with  praise.  Nor  will  I  punish  you,  only 
warn  you  and  teach  you.  The  mechanism  of  the  state 
is  like  the  working  of  the  cogged  wheels  which  move 
the  water-works  on  the  shore  of  the  Nile — if  one 
tooth  is  missing  the  whole  comes  to  a  stand-still 

*  A  title  frequently  given  to  the  Pharaohs.          **  The  Mediterranean  Sea. 


UARDA.  289 

however  strong  the  beasts  that  labor  to  turn  it.  Each 
of  you — bear  this  in  mind — is  a  main-wheel  in  the 
great  machine  of  the  state,  and  can  serve  an  end  only 
by  acting  unresistingly  in  obedience  to  the  motive 
power.  Now  rise !  we  may  perhaps  succeed  in  obtain- 
ing good  security  from  the  Asiatic  king,  though  we 
have  lost  our  hostage." 

Heralds  at  this  moment  marched  into  the  tent,  and 
announced  that  the  representative  of  the  Cheta  king 
and  the  allied  princes  were  in  attendance  in  the  coun- 
cil tent ;  Rameses  put  on  the  crown  of  Upper  and 
Lower  Egypt  and  all  his  royal  adornments  ;  the  cham- 
berlain who  carried  the  insignia  of  his  power,  and  his 
head  scribe  with  his  decoration  of  plumes  marched  be- 
fore him,  while  his  sons,  the  commanders  in  chief,  and 
the  interpreters  followed  him.  Rameses  took  his  seat 
on  his  throne  with  great  dignity,  and  the  sternest 
gravity  marked  his  demeanor  while  he  received  the 
homage  of  the  conquered  and  fettered  kings. 

The  Asiatics  kissed  the  earth  at  his  feet,  only  the 
king  of  the  Danaids  did  no  more  than  bow  before 
him.  Rameses  looked  wrathfully  at  him,  and  ordered 
the  interpreter  to  ask  him  whether  he  considered  him- 
self conquered  or  no,  and  the  answer  was  given  that 
he  had  not  come  before  the  Pharaoh  as  a  prisoner, 
and  that  the  obeisance  which  Rameses  required  of 
him  was  regarded  as  a  degradation  according  to  the 
customs  of  his  free-born  people,  who  prostrated  them- 
selves only  before  the  Gods.  He  hoped  to  become  an 
ally  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  and  he  asked  would  he 
desire  to  call  a  degraded  man  his  friend  ? 

Rameses  measured  the  proud  and  noble  figure 
before  him  with  a  glance,  and  said  severely : 


290  UARDA. 

"  I  am  prepared  to  treat  for  peace  only  with  such 
of  my  enemies  as  are  willing  to  bow  to  the  double 
crown  that  I  wear.  If  you  persist  in  your  refusal,  you 
and  your  people  will  have  no  part  in  the  favorable 
conditions  that  I  am  prepared  to  grant  to  these,  your 
allies." 

The  captive  prince  preserved  his  dignified  de- 
meanor, which  was  nevertheless  free  from  insolence, 
when  these  words  of  the  king  were  interpreted  to  him, 
and  replied  that  he  had  come  intending  to  procure 
peace  at  any  cost,  but  that  he  never  could  nor  would 
grovel  in  the  dust  at  any  man's  feet  nor  before  any 
crown.  He  would  depart  on  the  following  day ;  one 
favor,  however,  he  requested  in  his  daughter's  name 
and  his  own — and  he  had  heard  that  the  Egyptians 
respected  women.  The  king  knew,  of  course,  that  his 
charioteer  Mena  had  treated  his  daughter,  not  as  a 
prisoner  but  as  a  sister,  and  Praxilla  now  felt  a  wish, 
which  he  himself  shared,  to  bid  farewell  to  the  noble 
Mena,  and  his  wife,  and  to  thank  him  for  his  mag- 
nanimous generosity.  Would  Rameses  permit  him  once 
more  to  cross  the  Nile  before  his  departure,  and  with 
his  daughter  to  visit  Mena  in  his  tent. 

Rameses  granted  his  prayer :  the  prince  left  the 
tent,  and  the  negotiations  began. 

In  a  few  hours  they  were  brought  to  a  close,  for 
the  Asiatic  and  Egyptian  scribes  had  agreed,  in  the 
course  of  the  long  march  southwards,  on  the  stipula- 
tions to  be  signed ;  the  treaty  itself  was  to  be  drawn 
up  after  the  articles  had  been  carefully  considered, 
and  to  be  signed  in  the  city  of  Rameses  called  Tanis 
— or,  by  the  numerous  settlers  in  its  neighborhood, 
Zoan.  The  Asiatic  princes  were  to  dine  as  guests  with 


UARDA.  291 

the  king;  but  they  sat  at  a  separate  table,  as  the  Egyp- 
tians would  have  been  defiled  by  sitting  at  the  same 
table  with  strangers. 

Rameses  was  not  perfectly  satisfied.  If  the  Danaids 
went  away  without  concluding  a  treaty  with  him,  it  was 
to  be  expected  that  the  peace  which  he  was  so  earn- 
estly striving  for  would  before  long  be  again  disturbed ; 
and  he  nevertheless  felt  that,  out  of  regard  for  the  other 
conquered  princes,  he  could  not  forego  any  jot  of  the 
humiliation  which  he  had  required  of  their  king,  and 
which  he  believed  to  be  due  to  himself — though  he  had 
been  greatly  impressed  by  his  dignified  manliness  and 
by  the  bravery  of  the  troops  that  had  followed  him 
into  the  field. 

The  sun  was  sinking  when  Mena,  who  that  day  had 
leave  of  absence  from  the  king,  came  in  great  excite- 
ment up  to  the  table  where  the  princes  were  sitting 
and  craved  the  king's  permission  to  make  an  important 
communication.  Rameses  signed  consent ;  the  char- 
ioteer went  close  up  to  him,  and  they  held  a  short  but 
eager  conversation  in  a  low  voice. 

Presently  the  king  stood  up  and  said,  speaking  to  his 
daughter : 

"This  clay  which  began  so  horribly  will  end  joy- 
fully. The  fair  child  who  saved  you  to-day,  but  who 
so  nearly  fell  a  victim  to  the  flames,  is  of  noble 
origin." 

"She  comes  of  a  royal  house,"  said  Rameri,  disre- 
spectfully interrupting  his  father.  Rameses  looked  at 
him  reprovingly.  "My  sons  are  silent,"  he  said,  "till  I 
ask  them  to  speak." 

The  prince  colored  and  looked  down;  the  king 
signed  to  Bent-Anat  and  1'cntaur,  begged  his  guests  to 


292  UARDA. 

excuse  him  for  a  short  time,  and  was  about  to  leavfc 
the  tent;  but  Bent-Anat  went  up  to  him,  and  whis- 
pered a  few  words  to  him  with  reference  to  her  brother. 
Not  in  vain :  the  king  paused,  and  reflected  for  a  few 
moments;  then  he  looked  at  Rameri,  who  stood  abashed, 
and  as  if  rooted  to  the  spot  where  he  stood.  The 
king  called  his  name,  and  beckoned  him  to  follow 
him. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

RAMERI  had  rushed  off  to  summon  the  physicians, 
while  Bent-Anat  was  endeavoring  to  restore  the  rescued 
Uarda  to  consciousness,  and  he  followed  them  into  his 
sister's  tent.  He  gazed  with  tender  anxiety  into  the 
face  of  the  half  suffocated  girl,  who,  though  uninjured, 
still  remained  unconscious,  and  took  her  hand  to  press 
his  lips  to  her  slender  fingers,  but  Bent-Anat  pushed  him 
gently  away ;  then  in  low  tones  that  trembled  with  emo- 
tion he  implored  her  not  to  send  him  away,  and  told 
her  how  dear  the  girl  whose  life  he  had  saved  in  the 
fight  in  the  Necropolis  had  become  to  him — how,  since 
his  departure  for  Syria,  he  had  never  ceased  to  think 
of  her  night  and  day,  and  that  he  desired  to  make  her 
his  wife. 

Bent-Anat  was  startled;  she  reminded  her  brother 
of  the  stain  that  lay  on  the  child  of  the  paraschites 
and  through  which  she  herself  had  suffered  so  much; 
but  Rameri  answered  eagerly  : 

"  In  Egypt  rank  and  birth  are  derived  through  the 
mother  and  Kaschta's  dead  wife — " 

"  I  know,"  interrupted  Bent-Anat.     "  Nebsecht  has 


UARDA.  293 

already  told  us  that  she  was  a  dumb  woman,  a  prisoner 
of  war,  and  I  myself  believe  that  she  was  of  no  mean 
house,  for  Uarda  is  nobly  formed  in  face  and  figure." 

"  And  her  skin  is  as  fine  as  the  petal  of  a  flower," 
cried  Rameri.  "  Her  voice  is  like  the  ring  of  pure  gold, 
and — Oh !  look,  she  is  moving.  Uarda,  open  your  eyes, 
Uarda !  When  the  sun  rises  we  praise  the  Gods.  Open 
your  eyes !  how  thankful,  how  joyful  I  shall  be  if  those 
two  suns  only  rise  again." 

Bent-Anat  smiled,  and  drew  her  brother  away  from 
the  heavily-breathing  girl,  for  a  leech  came  into  the  tent 
to  say  that  a  warm  medicated  bath  had  been  prepared 
and  was  ready  for  Uarda.  The  princess  ordered  her 
waiting-women  to  help  lift  the  senseless  girl,  and  was 
preparing  to  follow  her  when  a  message  from  her  father 
required  her  presence  in  his  tent.  She  could  guess  at 
the  significance  of  this  command,  and  desired  Rameri 
to  leave  her  that  she  might  dress  in  festal  garments ; 
she  could  entrust  Uarda  to  the  care  of  Nefert  during 
her  absence. 

"  She  is  kind  and  gentle,  and  she  knows  Uarda  so 
well,"  said  the  princess,  "  and  the  necessity  of  caring 
for  this  dear  little  creature  will  do  her  good.  Her  heart 
is  torn  between  sorrow  for  her  lost  relations,  and  joy 
at  being  united  again  to  her  love.  My  father  has  given 
Mena  leave  of  absence  from  his  office  for  several  days, 
and  I  have  excused  her  from  her  attendance  on  me, 
for  the  time  during  which  we  were  so  necessary  to 
each  other  really  came  to  an  end  yesterday.  I  feel, 
Rameri,  as  if  we,  after  our  escape,  were  like  the  sacred 
phoenix  which  comes  to  Heliopolis  and  burns  itself  to 
death  only  to  soar  again  from  its  ashes  young  and  radiant 
— blessed  and  blessing !" 


294  UARDA. 

When  her  brother  had  left  her,  she  threw  herself 
before  the  image  of  her  mother  and  prayed  long  and 
earnestly ;  she  poured  an  offering  of  sweet  perfume 
on  the  little  altar  of  the  Goddess  Hathor,  which  always 
accompanied  her,  had  herself  dressed  in  happy  pre- 
paration for  meeting  her  father,  and — she  did  not  con- 
ceal it  from  herself — Pentaur,  then  she  went  for  a 
moment  to  Nefert's  tent  to  beg  her  to  take  good  care 
of  Uarda,  and  finally  obeyed  the  summons  of  the  king, 
who,  as  we  know,  fulfilled  her  utmost  hopes. 

As  Rameri  quitted  his  sister's  tent  he  saw  the  watch 
seize  and  lead  away  a  little  boy ;  the  child  cried  bitterly, 
and  the  prince  in  a  moment  recognized  the  little 
sculptor  Scherau,  who  had  betrayed  the  Regent's  plot 
to  him  and  to  Uarda,  and  whom  he  had  already  fancied 
he  had  seen  about  the  place.  The  guards  had  driven 
him  away  several  times  from  the  princess's  tent,  but  he 
had  persisted  in  returning,  and  this  obstinate  waiting  in 
the  neighborhood  had  aroused  the  suspicions  of  an 
officer;  for  since  the  fire  a  thousand  rumors  of  con- 
spiracies and  plots  against  the  king  had  been  flying 
about  the  camp.  Rameri  at  once  freed  the  little  prisoner, 
and  heard  from  him  that  it  was  old  Hekt  who,  before 
her  death,  had  sent  Kaschta  and  his  daughter  to  the 
rescue  of  the  king,  that  he  himself  had  helped  to  rouse 
the  troops,  that  now  he  had  no  home  and  wished  to  go 
to  Uarda. 

The  prince  himself  led  the  child  to  Nefert,  and 
begged  her  to  allow  him  to  see  Uarda,  and  to  let  him 
stay  with  her  servants  till  he  himself  returned  from  his 
father's  tent. 

The  leeches  had  treated  Uarda  with  judgment,  for 
under  the  influence  of  the  bath  she  recovered  her  senses; 


UARDA.  295 

when  she  had  been  dressed  again  in  fresh  garments 
and  refreshed  by  the  essences  and  medicines  which 
they  gave  her  to  inhale  and  to  drink,  she  was  led  back 
into  Nefert's  tent,  where  Mena,  who  had  never  before 
seen  her,  was  astonished  at  her  peculiar  and  touching 
beauty. 

"  She  is  very  like  my  Danaid  princess,"  he  said 
to  his  wife;  "only  she  is  younger  and  much  prettier  than 
she." 

Little  Scherau  came  in  to  pay  his  respects  to  her, 
and  she  was  delighted  to  see  the  boy ;  still  she  was  sad, 
and  however  kindly  Nefert  spoke  to  her  she  remained 
in  silent  reverie,  while  from  time  to  time  a  large  tear 
rolled  down  her  cheek. 

"  You  have  lost  your  father  !"  said  Nefert,  trying  to 
comfort  her.  "  And  I,  my  mother  and  brother  both  in 
one  day." 

"  Kaschta  was  rough  but,  oh !  so  kind,"  replied  Uarda. 
"  He  was  always  so  fond  of  me ;  he  was  like  the  fruit 
of  the  doom  palm ;  its  husk  is  hard  and  rough,  but  he 
who  knows  how  to  open  it  finds  the  sweet  pulp  within. 
Now  he  is  dead,  and  my  grandfather  and  grandmother 
are  gone  before  him,  and  I  am  like  the  green  leaf  that 
I  saw  floating  on  the  waters  when  we  were  crossing  the 
sea ;  anything  so  forlorn  I  never  saw,  abandoned  by  all 
it  belonged  to  or  had  ever  loved,  the  sport  of  a  strange 
element  in  which  nothing  resembling  itself  ever  grew  or 
ever  can  grow." 

Nefert  kissed   her   forehead.      "  You  have  friends," 
she  said,  "  who  will  never  abandon  you." 

"I  know,  I  know!"  said  Uarda  thoughtfully,  "and 
yet  I  am  alone — for  the  first  time  really  alone.  In 
Thebes  I  have  often  looked  after  the  wild  swans  as 


296  UARDA. 

they  passed  across  the  sky;  one  flies  in  front,  then  comes 
the  body  of  the  wandering  party,  and  very  often,  far  be- 
hind, a  solitary  straggler;  and  even  this  last  one  I  do 
not  call  lonely,  for  he  can  still  see  his  brethren  in  front 
of  him.  But  when  the  hunters  have  shot  down  all  the 
low-flying  loiterers,  and  the  last  one  has  lost  sight  of  the 
flock,  and  knows  that  he  never  again  can  find  them  or 
follow  them  he  is  indeed  to  be  pitied.  I  am  as  unhappy 
as  the  abandoned  bird,  for  I  have  lost  sight  to-day  of 
all  that  I  belong  to,  and  I  am  alone,  and  can  never 
find  them  again." 

"You  will  be  welcomed  into  some  more  noble  house 
than  that  to  which  you  belong  by  birth,"  said  Nefert,  to 
comfort  her. 

Uarda's  eyes  flashed,  and  she  said  proudly,  almost 
defiantly : 

"  My  race  is  that  of  my  mother,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  no  mean  house;  the  reason  I  turned  back  this  morn- 
ing and  went  into  the  smoke  and  fire  again  after  I  had 
escaped  once  into  the  open  air — what  I  went  back  for, 
because  I  felt  it  was  worth  dying  for,  was  my  mother's 
legacy,  which  I  had  put  away  with  my  holiday  dress 
when  I  followed  the  wretched  Nemu  to  his  tent.  I 
threw  myself  into  the  jaws  of  death  to  save  the  jewel, 
but  certainly  not  because  it  is  made  of  gold  and  precious 
stones — for  I  do  not  care  to  be  rich,  and  I  want  no 
better  fare  than  a  bit  of  bread  and  a  few  dates  and  a 
cup  of  water — but  because  it  has  a  name  on  it  in 
strange  characters,  and  because  I  believe  it  will  serve 
to  discover  the  people  from  whom  my  mother  was 
carried  off;  and  now  I  have  lost  the  jewel,  and  with  it 
my  identity  and  my  hopes  and  happiness." 


UARDA.  297 

Uarda  wept  aloud;  Nefert  put  her  arm  around  her 
affectionately. 

"  Poor  child !"  she  said,  "  was  your  treasure  destroyed 
in  the  flames  ?" 

"  No,  no,"  cried  Uarda  eagerly.  "  I  snatched  it 
out  of  my  chest  and  held  it  in  my  hand  when  Nebsecht 
took  me  in  his  arms,  and  I  still  had  it  in  my  hand  when 
I  was  lying  safe  on  the  ground  outside  the  burning 
house,  and  Bent-Anat  was  close  to  me,  and  Rameri 
came  up.  I  remember  seeing  him  as  if  I  were  in  a 
dream,  and  I  revived  a  little,  and  I  felt  the  jewel  in  my 
fingers  then." 

"Then  it  was  dropped  on  the  way  to  the  tent?" 
said  Nefert. 

Uarda  nodded;  little  Scherau,  who  had  been  crouch- 
ing on  the  floor  beside  her,  gave  Uarda  a  loving  glance, 
dimmed  with  tears,  and  quietly  slipped  out  of  the  tent. 

Time  went  by  in  silence;  Uarda  sat  looking  at  the 
ground,  Nefert  and  Mena  held  each  other's  hands,  but 
the  thoughts  of  all  three  were  with  the  dead.  A  perfect 
stillness  reigned,  and  the  happiness  of  the  reunited 
couple  was  darkly  overshadowed  by  their  sorrow.  From 
time  to  time  the  silence  was  broken  by  a  trumpet- blast 
from  the  royal  tent;  first  when  the  Asiatic  princes  were 
introduced  into  the  Council-tent,  then  when  the  Danaid 
king  departed,  and  lastly  when  the  Pharaoh  preceded 
the  conquered  princes  to  the  banquet. 

The  charioteer  remembered  how  his  master  had 
restored  him  to  dignity  and  honor,  for  the  sake  of  his 
faithful  wife-,  and  gratefully  pressed  her  hand. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  noise  in  front  of  the  tent,  and 
an  officer  entered  to  announce  to  Mena  that  the 
Danaid  king  and  his  daughter,  accompanied  by  a 
41 


298  UARDA. 

body-guard,  requested  to  see  and  speak  with  him  and 
Nefert. 

The  entrance  to  the  tent  was  thrown  wide  open. 
Uarda  retired  modestly  into  the  back-ground,  and 
Mena  and  Nefert  went  forward  hand  in  hand  to  meet 
their  unexpected  guests. 

The  Greek  prince  was  an  old  man,,  his  beard  and 
thick  hair  were  grey,  but  his  movements  were  youth- 
ful and  light,  though  dignified  and  deliberate.  His 
even,  well-formed  features  were  deeply  furrowed,  he 
had  large,  bright,  clear  blue  eyes,  but  round  his  fine 
lips  were  lines  of  care.  Close  to  him  walked  his 
daughter;  her  long  white  robe  striped  with  purple  was 
held  round  her  hips  by  a  golden  girdle,  and  her  sunny 
yellow  hair  fell  in  waving  locks  over  her  neck  and 
shoulders,  while  it  was  confined  by  a  diadem  which 
encircled  her  head ;  she  was  of  middle  height,  and 
her  motions  were  measured  and  calm  like  her  father's. 
Her  brow  was  narrow,  and  in  one  line  with  her  straight 
nose,  her  rosy  mouth  was  sweet  and  kind,  and  beyond 
everything  beautiful  were  the  lines  of  her  oval  face  and 
the  turn  of  her  snow-white  throat.  By  their  side  stood 
the  interpreter  who  translated  every  word  of  the  con- 
versation on  both  sides.  Behind  them  came  two  men 
and  two  women,  who  carried  gifts  for  Mena  and  his 
wife. 

The  prince  praised  Mena's  magnanimity  in  the 
warmest  terms. 

"You  have  proved  to  me,"  he  said,  "that  the  virtues 
of  gratitude,  of  constancy,  and  of  faith  are  practised 
by  the  Egyptians ;  although  your  merit  certainly  appears 
less  to  me  now  that  I  see  your  wife,  for  he  who  owns 
the  fairest  may  easily  forego  any  taste  for  the  fair." 


UARDA.  299 

Nefert  blushed. 

"  Your  generosity,"  she  answered,  "  does  me  more 
than  justice  at  your  daughter's  expense,  and  love 
moved  my  husband  to  the  same  injustice,  but  your 
beautiful  daughter  must  forgive  you  and  me  also." 

Praxilla  went  towards  her  and  expressed  her  thanks; 
then  she  offered  her  the  costly  coronet,  the  golden 
clasps  and  strings  of  rare  pearls  which  her  women 
carried ;  her  father  begged  Mena  to  accept  a  coat  of 
mail  and  a  shield  of  fine  silver  work.  The  strangers 
were  then  led  into  the  tent,  and  were  there  welcomed 
and  entertained  with  all  honor,  and  offered  bread 
and  wine.  While  Mena  pledged  her  father,  Praxilla 
related  to  Nefert,  with  the  help  of  the  interpreter, 
what  hours  of  terror  she  had  lived  through  after  she 
had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  Egyptians,  and  was 
brought  into  the  camp  with  the  other  spoils  of  war ; 
how  an  older  commander  had  asserted  his  claim  to 
her,  how  Mena  had  given  her  his  hand,  had  led  her  to 
his  tent,  and  had  treated  her  like  his  own  daughter. 
Her  voice  shook  with  emotion,  and  even  the  inter- 
preter was  moved  as  she  concluded  her  story  with 
these  words  :  "  How  grateful  I  am  to  him,  you  will  fully 
understand  when  I  tell  you  that  the  man  who  was  to 
have  been  my  husband  fell  wounded  before  my  eyes 
while  defending  our  camp ;  but  he  has  recovered,  and 
now  only  awaits  my  return  for  our  wedding." 

"  May  the  Gods  only  grant  it !"  cried  the  king, 
"for  Praxilla  is  the  last  child  of  my  house.  The 
murderous  war  robbed  me  of  my  four  fair  sons  before 
they  had  taken  wives,  my  son-in-law  was  slain  by  the 
Egyptians  at  the  taking  of  our  camp,  and  his  wife 
and  new-born  son  fell  into  their  hands,  and  Praxilla  is 


300  TJARDA. 

my  youngest  child,  the  only  one  left  to  me  by  the 
envious  Gods." 

While  he  was  still  speaking,  they  heard  the  guards 
call  out  and  a  child's  loud  cry,  and  at  the  same  instant 
little  Scherau  rushed  into  the  tent  holding  up  his 
hand  exclaiming. 

"  I  have  it !  I  have  found  it !" 

Uarda,  who  had  remained  behind  the  curtain 
which  screened  the  sleeping  room  of  the  tent — but 
who  had  listened  with  breathless  attention  to  every 
word  of  the  foreigners,  and  who  had  never  taken 
her  eyes  off  the  fair  Praxilla — now  came  forward,  em- 
boldened by  her  agitation,  into  the  midst  of  the  tent, 
and  took  the  jewel  from  the  child's  hand  to  show  it 
to  the  Greek  king;  for  while  she  stood  gazing  at 
Praxilla  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  was  looking  at  her- 
self in  a  mirror,  and  the  idea  had  rapidly  grown  to 
conviction  that  her  mother  had  been  a  daughter  of 
the  Danaids.  Her  heart  beat  violently  as  she  went 
up  to  the  king  with  a  modest  demeanor,  her  head 
bent  down,  but  holding  her  jewel  up  for  him  to  see. 

The  bystanders  all  gazed  in  astonishment  at  the 
veteran  chief,  for  he  staggered  as  she  came  up  to  him, 
stretched  out  his  hands  as  if  in  terror  towards  the  girl, 
and  drew  back  crying  out : 

"Xanthe,  Xanthe!  Is  your  spirit  freed  from  Hades? 
Are  you  come  to  summon  me  ?" 

Praxilla  looked  at  her  father  in  alarm,  but  sud- 
denly she,  too,  gave  a  piercing  cry,  snatched  a  chain 
from  her  neck,  hurried  towards  Uarda,  and  seizing  the 
jewel  she  held,  exclaimed  : 

"  Here  is  the  other  half  of  the  ornament,  it  be- 
longed to  my  poor  sister  Xanthe !" 


UARDA.  301 

The  old  Greek  was  a  pathetic  sight,  he  struggled 
hard  to  collect  himself,  looking  with  tender  delight  at 
Uarda,  his  sinewy  hands  trembled  as  he  compared 
the  two  pieces  of  the  necklet ;  they  matched  precisely 
— each  represented  the  wing  of  an  eagle  which  was 
attached  to  half  an  oval  covered  with  an  inscription ; 
when  they  were  laid  together  they  formed  the  com- 
plete figure  of  a  bird  with  out-spread  wings,  on  whose 
breast  the  lines  exactly  matched  of  the  following 
oracular  verse — 

"  Alone  each  is  a  trifling  thing,  a  woman's  useless  toy — 
But  with  its  counterpart  behold  !  the  favorite  bird  of  Zeus." 

A  glance  at  the  inscription  convinced  the  king 
that  he  held  in  his  hand  the  very  jewel  which  he  had 
put  with  his  own  hands  round  the  neck  of  his  daughter 
Xanthe  on  her  marriage-day,  and  of  which  the  other 
half  had  been  preserved  by  her  mother,  from  whom  it 
had  descended  to  Praxilla.  It  had  originally  been 
made  for  his  wife  and  her  twin  sister  who  had  died 
young.  Before  he  made  any  enquiries,  or  asked  for 
any  explanations,  he  took  Uarda's  head  between  his 
hands,  and  turning  her  face  close  to  his  he  gazed  at 
her  features,  as  if  he  were  reading  a  book  in  which  he 
expected  to  find  a  memorial  of  all  the  blissful  hours 
of  his  youth,  and  the  girl  felt  no  fear;  nor  did  she 
shrink  when  he  pressed  his  lips  to  her  forehead,  for 
she  felt  that  this  man's  blood  ran  in  her  own  veins. 
At  last  the  king  signed  to  the  interpreter;  Uarda  was 
asked  to  tell  all  she  knew  of  her  mother,  and  when  she 
said  that  she  had  come  a  captive  to  Thebes  with  an  in- 
fant that  had  soon  after  died,  that  her  father  had  bought 
her  and  had  loved  her  in  spite  of  her  being  dumb,  the 
prince's  conviction  became  certainty ;  lie  acknowledged 


302  UARDA. 

Uarda  as  his  grandchild,  and  Praxilla  clasped  her  in 
her  arms. 

Then  he  told  Mena  that  it  was  now  twenty  years 
since  his  son-in-law  had  been  killed,  and  his  daughter 
Xanthe,  whom  Uarda  exactly  resembled,  had  been  car- 
ried into  captivity.  Praxilla  was  then  only  just  born, 
and  his  wife  died  of  the  shock  of  such  terrible  news. 
All  his  enquiries  for  Xanthe  and  her  child  had  been 
fruitless,  but  he  now  remembered  that  once,  when  he 
had  offered  a  large  ransom  for  his  daughter  if  she 
could  be  found,  the  Egyptians  had  enquired  whether 
she  were  dumb,  and  that  he  had  answered  "  no."  No 
doubt  Xanthe  had  lost  the  power  of  speech  through 
grief,  terror,  and  suffering. 

The  joy  of  the  king  was  unspeakable,  and  Uarda 
was  never  tired  of  gazing  at  his  daughter  and  holding 
her  hand. 

Then  she  turned  to  the  interpreter. 

"  Tell  me,"  she  said.  "  How  do  I  say  '  I  am  so 
very  happy  ?'  " 

He  told  her,  and  she  smilingly  repeated  his  words. 
"  Now  '  Uarda  will  love  you  with  all  her  heart  ?'  "  and 
she  said  it  after  him  in  broken  accents  that  sounded 
so  sweet  and  so  heart-felt,  that  the  old  man  clasped  her 
to  his  breast. 

Tears  of  emotion  stood  in  Nefert's  eyes,  and  when 
Uarda  flung  herself  into  her  arms  she  said : 

"The  forlorn  swan  has  found  its  kindred,  the  float- 
ing leaf  has  reached  the  shore,  and  must  be  happy 
now !" 

Thus  passed  an  hour  of  the  purest  happiness ;  at 
last  the  Greek  king  prepared  to  leave,  and  he  wished 
to  take  Uarda  with  him ;  but  Mena  begged  his  permission 


UARDA.  303 

to  communicate  all  that  had  occurred  to  the  Pharaoh  and 
Bent-Anat,  for  Uardawas  attached  to  the  princess's  train, 
and  had  been  left  in  his  charge,  and  he  dared  not  trust 
her  in  any  other  hands  without  Bent-Anat's  permission. 
Without  waiting  for  the  king's  reply  he  left  the  tent, 
hastened  to  the  banqueting  tent,  and,  as  we  know,  Ra- 
meses  and  the  princess  had  at  once  attended  to  his 
summons. 

On  the  way  Mena  gave  them  a  vivid  description  of 
the  exciting  events  that  had  taken  place,  and  Rameses, 
with  a  side  glance  at  Bent-Anat,  asked  Rameri : 

"  Would  you  be  prepared  to  repair  your  errors,  and 
to  win  the  friendship  of  the  Greek  king  by  being  be- 
trothed to  his  granddaughter?" 

The  prince  could  not  answer  a  word,  but  he  clasped 
his  father's  hand,  and  kissed  it  so  warmly  that  Rameses, 
as  he  drew  it  away,  said  : 

"  I  really  believe  that  you  have  stolen  a  march 
on  me,  and  have  been  studying  diplomacy  behind  my 
back !" 

Rameses  met  his  noble  opponent  outside  Mena's 
tent,  and  was  about  to  offer  him  his  hand,  but  the  Danaid 
chief  had  sunk  on  his  knees  before  him  as  the  other 
princes  had  done. 

"  Regard  me  not  as  a  king  and  a  warrior,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  only  as  a  suppliant  father ;  let  us  conclude  a 
peace,  and  permit  me  to  take  this  maiden,  my  grand- 
child, home  with  me  to  my  own  country." 

Rameses  raised  the  old  man  from  the  ground,  gave 
him  his  hand,  and  said  kindly : 

"  I,  can  only  grant  the  half  of  what  you  ask.  I,  as 
king  of  Egypt,  am  most  willing  to  grant  you  a  faithful 
compact  for  a  sound  and  lasting  peace ;  as  regards  this 


304  UARDA. 

maiden,  you  must  treat  with  my  children,  first  with  my 
daughter  Bent-Anat,  one  of  whose  ladies  she  is,  and 
then  with  your  released  prisoner  there,  who  wishes  to 
make  Uarda  his  wife." 

"  I  will  resign  my  share  in  the  matter  to  my  brother," 
said  Bent-Anat,  "  and  I  only  ask  you,  maiden,  whether 
you  are  inclined  to  acknowledge  him  as  your  lord  and 
master  ?" 

Uarda  bowed  assent,  and  looked  at  her  grandfather 
with  an  expression  which  he  understood  without  any 
interpreter. 

"  I  know  you  well,"  he  said,  turning  to  Rameri.  "  We 
stood  face  to  face  in  the  fight,  and  I  took  you  prisoner 
as  you  fell  stunned  by  a  blow  from  my  sword.  You 
are  still  too  rash,  but  that  is  a  fault  which  time  will 
amend  in  a  youth  of  your  heroic  temper.  Listen  to  me 
now,  and  you  too,  noble  Pharaoh,  permit  me  these  few 
words ;  let  us  betroth  these  two,  and  may  their  union 
be  the  bond  of  ours,  but  first  grant  me  for  a  year  to 
take  my  long-lost  child  home  with  me  that  she  may 
rejoice  my  old  heart,  and  that  I  may  hear  from  her  lips 
the  accents  of  her  mother,  whom  you  took  from  me. 
They  are  both  young ;  according  to  the  usages  of  our 
country,  where  both  men  and  women  ripen  later  than 
in  your  country,  they  are  almost  too  young  for  the 
solemn  tie  of  marriage.  But  one  thing  above  all  will 
determine  you  to  favor  my  wishes  ;  this  daughter  of  a 
royal  house  has  grown  up  amid  the  humblest  surround- 
ings ;  here  she  has  no  home,  no  family-ties.  The  prince 
has  wooed  her,  so  to  speak,  on  the  highway,  but  if  she 
now  comes  with  me  he  can  enter  the  palace  of  kings 
as  suitor  to  a  princess,  and  the  marriage  feast  I  will 
provide  shall  be  a  right  royal  one." 


UARDA.  305 

"  What  you  demand  is  just  and  wise,"  replied  Ra- 
meses.  "  Take  your  grandchild  with  you  as  my  son's 
betrothed  bride — my  future  daughter.  Give  me  your 
hands,  my  children.  The  delay  will  teach  you  patience, 
for  Rameri  must  remain  a  full  year  from  to-day  in  Egypt, 
and  it  will  be  to  your  profit,  sweet  child,  for  the  obedi- 
ence which  he  will  learn  through  his  training  in  the 
army  will  temper  the  nature  of  your  future  husband. 
You,  Rameri,  shall  in  a  year  from  to-day — and  I  think 
you  will  not  forget  the  date — find  at  your  service  a 
ship  in  the  harbor  of  Pelusium,  fitted  and  manned  with 
Phoenicians,  to  convey  you  to  your  wedding." 

"  So  be  it !"  exclaimed  the  old  man.  "  And  by  Zeus 
who  hears  me  swear — I  will  not  withhold  Xanthe's 
daughter  from  your  son  when  he  comes  to  claim  her !" 

When  Rameri  returned  to  the  princes'  tent  he  threw 
himself  on  their  necks  in  turn,  and  when  he  found  him- 
self alone  with  their  surly  old  house-steward,  he  snatched 
his  wig  from  his  head,  flung  it  in  the  air,  and  then 
coaxingly  stroked  the  worthy  officer's  cheeks  as  he  set 
it  on  his  head  again. 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 

UARDA  accompanied  her  grandfather  and  Praxilla  to 
their  tent  on  the  farther  side  of  the  Nile,  but  she  was 
to  return  next  morning  to  the  Egyptian  camp  to  take 
leave  of  all  her  friends,  and  to  provide  for  her  father's 
interment.  Nor  did  she  delay  attending  to  the  last  wishes 
of  old  Hekt,  and  Bent-Anat  easily  persuaded  her  father, 
when  he  learnt  how  greatly  he  had  been  indebted  to 
her,  to  have  her  embalmed  like  a  lady  of  rank. 


306  UARDA. 

Before  Uarda  left  the  Egyptian  camp,  Pentaur  came 
to  entreat  her  to  afford  her  dying  preserver  Nebsecht 
the  last  happiness  of  seeing  her  once  more;  Uarda  ac- 
ceded with  a  blush,  and  the  poet,  who  had  watched  all 
night  by  his  friend,  went  forward  to  prepare  him  for  her 
visit. 

Nebsecht's  bums  and  a  severe  wound  on  his  head 
caused  him  great  suffering;  his  cheeks  glowed  with 
fever,  and  the  physicians  told  Pentaur  that  he  probably 
could  not  live  more  than  a  few  hours. 

The  poet  laid  his  cool  hand  on  his  friend's  brow, 
and  spoke  to  him  encouragingly ;  but  Nebsecht  smiled 
at  his  words  with  the  peculiar  expression  of  a  man 
who  knows  that  his  end  is  near,  and  said  in  alow  voice 
and  with  a  visible  effort : 

"  A  few  breaths  more  and  here,  and  here,  will  be 
peace."  He  laid  his  hand  on  his  head  and  on  his 
heart. 

"  We  all  attain  to  peace,"  said  Pentaur.  "  But  per- 
haps only  to  labor  more  earnestly  and  unweariedly  in 
the  land  beyond  the  grave.  If  the  Gods  reward  any 
thing  it  is  the  honest  struggle,  the  earnest  seeking  after 
truth ; — if  any  spirit  can  be  made  one  with  the  great 
Soul  of  the  world  it  will  be  yours,  and  if  any  eye  may 
see  the  Godhead  through  the  veil  which  here  shrouds 
the  mystery  of  His  existence  yours  will  have  earned  the 
privilege." 

"  I  have  pushed  and  pulled,"  sighed  Nebsecht,  "  with 
all  my  might,  and  now  when  I  thought  I  had  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  truth  the  heavy  fist  of  death  comes  down 
upon  me  and  shuts  my  eyes.  What  good  will  it  do 
me  to  see  with  the  eye  of  the  Divinity  or  to  share  in 
his  omniscience  ?  It  is  not  seeing,  it  is  seeking  that  is 


UARDA.  307 

delightful — so  delightful  that  I  would  willingly  set  my 
life  there  against  another  life  here  for  the  sake  of  it." 

He  was  silent,  for  his  strength  failed,  and  Pentaur 
begged  him  to  keep  quiet,  and  to  occupy  his  mind  in 
recalling  all  the  hours  of  joy  which  life  had  given 
him. 

"  They  have  been  few,"  said  the  leech.  "  When  my 
mother  kissed  me  and  gave  me  dates,  when  I  could 
work  and  observe  in  peace,  when  you  opened  my 
eyes  to  the  beautiful  world  of  poetry — that  was  good !" 

"And  you  have  soothed  the  sufferings  of  many 
men,  added  Pentaur,  "  and  never  caused  pain  to  any 
one." 

Nebsecht  shook  his  head. 

"  I  drove  the  old  paraschites,"  he  muttered,  "  to 
madness  and  to  death." 

He  was  silent  for  a  long  time,  then  he  looked  up 
eagerly  and  said  :  "  But  not  intentionally — and  not  in 
vain!  In  Syria,  at  Megiddo  I  could  work  undisturbed; 
now  I  know  what  the  organ  is  that  thinks.  The  heart ! 
What  is  the  heart  ?  A  ram's  heart  or  a  man's  heart, 
they  serve  the  same  end ;  they  turn  the  wheel  of  ani- 
mal life,  they  both  beat  quicker  in  terror  or  in  joy, 
for  we  feel  fear  or  pleasure  just  as  animals  do.  But 
Thought,  the  divine  power  that  flies  to  the  infinite,  and 
enables  us  to  form  and  prove  our  opinions,  has  its  seat 
here — here  in  the  brain,  behind  the  brow." 

He  paused  exhausted  and  overcome  with  pain. 
Pentaur  thought  he  was  wandering  in  his  fever,  and 
offered  him  a  cooling  drink  while  two  physicians  walked 
round  his  bed  singing  litanies  ;  then,  as  Nebsecht  raised 
himself  in  bed  with  renewed  energy,  the  poet  said  to 
him : 


308  UARDA. 

"  The  fairest  memory  of  your  life  must  surely  be 
that  of  the  sweet  child  whose  face,  as  you  once  con- 
fessed to  me,  first  opened  your  soul  to  the  sense  of 
beauty,  and  whom  with  your  own  hands  you  snatched 
from  death  at  the  cost  of  your  own  life.  You  know 
Uarda  has  found  her  own  relatives  and  is  happy,  and 
she  is  very  grateful  to  her  preserver,  and  would  like  to 
see  him  once  more  before  she  goes  far  away  with  her 
grandfather." 

The  sick  man  hesitated  before  he  answered  softly : 

"  Let  her  come — but  I  will  look  at  her  from  a  dis- 
tance." 

Pentaur  went  out  and  soon  returned  with  Uarda, 
who  remained  standing  with  glowing  cheeks  and  tears 
in  her  eyes  at  the  door  of  the  tent.  The  leech  looked 
at  her  a  long  time  with  an  imploring  and  tender  ex- 
pression, then  he  said : 

"  Accept  my  thanks — and  be  happy." 

The  girl  would  have  gone  up  to  him  to  take  his 
hand,  but  he  waved  her  off  with  his  right  hand  enve- 
loped in  wrappings. 

"  Come  no  nearer,"  he  said,  "  but  stay  a  moment 
longer.  You  have  tears  in  your  eyes ;  are  they  for  me 
or  only  for  my  pain  ?" 

"  For  you,  good  noble  man !  my  friend  and  my 
preserver !"  said  Uarda.  "  For  you  dear,  poor  Nebsecht!" 

The  leech  closed  his  eyes  as  she  spoke  these  words 
with  earnest  feeling,  but  he  looked  up  once  more  as 
she  ceased  speaking,  and  gazed  at  her  with  tender 
admiration  ;  then  he  said  softly  : 

"  It  is  enough — now  I  can  die." 

Uarda  left  the  tent,  Pentaur  remained  with  him 
listening  to  his  hoarse  and  difficult  breathing;  suddenly 


UARDA.  309 

Nebsecht  raised  himself,  and  said  :  "  Farewell,  my  friend, 
— my  journey  is  beginning,  who  knows  whither  ?" 

"  Only  not  into  vacancy,  not  to  end  in  nothingness  !" 
cried  Pentaur  warmly. 

The  leech  shook  his  head.  "  I  have  been  some- 
thing," he  said,  "  and  being  something  I  cannot  become 
nothing.  Nature  is  a  good  economist,  and  utilizes  the 
smallest  trifle;  she  will  use  me  too  according  to  her 
need.  She  brings  everything  to  its  end  and  purpose 
in  obedience  to  some  rule  and  measure,  and  will  so 
deal  with  me  after  I  am  dead ;  there  is  no  waste.  Each 
thing  results  in  being  that  which  it  is  its  function  to 
become;  our  wish  or  will  is  not  asked — my  head !  when 
the  pain  is  in  my  head  I  cannot  think — if  only  I  could 
prove — could  prove — " 

The  last  words  were  less  and  less  audible,  his 
breath  was  choked,  and  in  a  few  seconds  Pentaur  with 
deep  regret  closed  his  eyes. 

Pentaur,  as  he  quitted  the  tent  where  the  dead 
man  lay,  met  the  high-priest  Ameni,  who  had  gone  to 
seek  him  by  his  friend's  bed-side,  and  they  returned 
together  to  gaze  on  the  dead.  Ameni,  with  much 
emotion,  put  up  a  few  earnest  prayers  for  the  salvation 
of  his  soul,  and  then  requested  Pentaur  to  follow  him 
without  delay  to  his  tent.  On  the  way  he  prepared 
the  poet,  with  the  polite  delicacy  which  was  peculiar 
to  him,  for  a  meeting  which  might  be  more  painful 
than  joyful  to  him,  and  must  in  any  case  bring  him 
many  hours  of  anxiety  and  agitation. 

The  judges  in  Thebes,  who  had  been  compelled 
to  sentence  the  lady  Setchem,  as  the  mother  of  a  traitor, 


310  UARDA. 

to  banishment  to  the  mines*  had,  without  any  demand 
on  her  part,  granted  leave  to  the  noble  and  most 
respectable  matron  to  go  under  an  escort  of  guards  to 
meet  the  king  on  his  return  into  Egypt,  in  order  to 
petition  for  mercy  for  herself,  but  not,  as  it  was  ex- 
pressly added — for  Paaker;  and  she  had  set  out,  but 
with  the  secret  resolution  to  obtain  the  king's  grace 
not  for  herself  but  for  her  son. 

Ameni  had  already  left  Thebes  for  the  north  when 
this  sentence  was  pronounced,  or  he  would  have  re- 
versed it  by  declaring  the  true  origin  of  Paaker;  for 
after  he  had  given  up  his  participation  in  the  Regent's 
conspiracy,  he  no  longer  had  any  motive  for  keeping 
old  Hekt's  secret. 

Setchem's  journey  was  lengthened  by  a  storm  which 
wrecked  the  ship  in  which  she  was  descending  the 
Nile,  and  she  did  not  reach  Pelusium  till  after  the 
king.  The  canal  which  formed  the  mouth  of  the  Nile 
close  to  this  fortress  and  joined  the  river  to  the  Medi- 
terranean, was  so  over-crowded  with  the  boats  of 
the  Regent  and  his  followers,  of  the  ambassadors, 
nobles,  citizens,  and  troops  which  had  met  from  all 
parts  of  the  country,  that  the  lady's  boat  could  find 
anchorage  only  at  a  great  distance  from  the  city,  and 
accompanied  by  her  faithful  steward  she  had  suc- 
ceeded only  a  few  hours  before  in  speaking  to  the 
high-priest. 

Setchem  was  terribly  changed ;  her  eyes,  which  only 
a  few  months  since  had  kept  an  efficient  watch  over 

*  Agatharchides,  in  Diodorus  III.  12,  says  that  in  many  cases  not  only 
the  criminal  but  his  relations  also  were  condemned  to  labor  in  the  mines.  In 
the  convention  signed  between  Rameses  and  the  Cheta  king  it  is  expressly 
provided  that  the  deserter  restored  to  Egypt  shall  go  unpunished,  that  no  in- 
jury shall  be  done  "to  his  house,  his  wife  or  his  children,  nor  shall  his  mother 
be  put  to  death." 


UARDA.  311 

the  wealthy  Theban  household,  were  now  dim  and 
weary,  and  although  her  figure  had  not  grown  thin  it 
had  lost  its  dignity  and  energy,  and  seemed  inert  and 
feeble.  Her  lips,  so  ready  for  a  wise  or  sprightly  say- 
ing, were  closely  shut,  and  moved  only  in  silent  prayer 
or  when  some  friend  spoke  to  her  of  her  unhappy  son. 
His  deed  she  well  knew  was  that  of  a  reprobate,  and 
she  sought  no  excuse  or  defence ;  her  mother's  heart 
forgave  it  without  any.  Whenever  she  thought  of  him 
— and  she  thought  of  him  incessantly  all  through  the 
day  and  through  her  sleepless  nights — her  eyes  over- 
flowed with  tears. 

Her  boat  had  reached  Pelusium  just  as  the  flames 
were  breaking  out  in  the  palace ;  the  broad  flare  of 
light  and  the  cries  from  the  various  vessels  in  the 
harbor  brought  her  on  deck.  She  heard  that  the 
burning  house  was  the  pavilion  erected  by  Ani  for  the 
king's  residence;  Rameses  she  was  told  was  in  the 
utmost  danger,  and  the  fire  had  beyond  a  doubt  been 
laid  by  traitors. 

As  day  broke  and  further  news  reached  her,  the 
names  of  her  son  and  of  her  sister  came  to  her  ear ; 
she  asked  no  questions — she  would  not  hear  the  truth 
— but  she  knew  it  all  the  same ;  as  often  as  the  word 
"  traitor"  caught  her  ear  in  her  cabin,  to  which  she 
had  retreated,  she  felt  as  if  some  keen  pain  shot 
through  her  bewildered  brain,  and  shuddered  as  if 
from  a  cold  chill. 

All  through  that  day  she  could  neither  eat  nor 
drink,  but  lay  with  closed  eyes  on  her  couch,  while  her 
steward — who  had  soon  learnt  what  a  terrible  share 
his  former  master  had  taken  in  the  incendiarism,  and 
who  now  gave  up  his  lady's  cause  for  lost — sought 


3 1  2  UARDA. 

every  where  for  the  high-priest  Ameni ;  but  as  he  was 
among  the  persons  nearest  to  the  king  it  was  impos- 
sible to  see  him  that  day,  and  it  was  not  till  the  next 
morning  that  he  was  able  to  speak  with  him.  Ameni 
inspired  the  anxious  and  sorrowful  old  retainer  with 
fresh  courage,  returned  with  him  in  his  own  chariot  to 
the  harbor,  and  accompanied  him  to  Setchem's  boat 
to  prepare  her  for  the  happiness  which  awaited  her 
after  her  terrible  troubles. 

But  he  came  too  late,  the  spirit  of  the  poor  lady 
was  quite  clouded,  and  she  listened  to  him  without 
any  interest  while  he  strove  to  restore  her  to  courage 
and  to  recall  her  wandering  mind.  She  only  inter- 
rupted him  over  and  over  again  with  the  questions: 
"  Did  he  do  it  ?"  or  "  Is  he  alive  ?" 

At  last  Ameni  succeeded  in  persuading  her  to  ac- 
company him  in  her  litter  to  his  tent,  where  she  would 
find  her  son.  Pentaur  was  wonderfully  like  her  lost 
husband,  and  the  priest,  experienced  in  humanity, 
thought  that  the  sight  of  him  would  rouse  the  dormant 
powers  of  her  mind.  When  she  had  arrived  at  his 
tent,  he  told  her  with  kind  precaution  the  whole  history 
of  the  exchange  of  Paaker  for  Pentaur,  and  she  fol- 
lowed the  story  with  attention  but  with  indifference, 
as  if  she  were  hearing  of  the  adventures  of  others  who 
did  not  concern  her.  When  Ameni  enlarged  on  the 
genius  of  the  poet  and  on  his  perfect  resemblance  to 
his  dead  father  she  muttered : 

"  I  know — I  know.  You  mean  the  speaker  at  the 
Feast  of  the  Valley,"  and  then  although  she  had  been 
told  several  times  that  Paaker  had  been  killed,  she 
asked  again  if  her  son  was  alive. 

Ameni  decided   at   last    to    fetch  Pentaur   himself. 


UARDA.  313 

When  he  came  back  with  him,  fully  prepared  to  meet 
his  heavily-stricken  mother,  the  tent  was  empty.  The 
high-priest's  servants  told  him  that  Setchem  had  per 
suaded  the  easily-moved  old  prophet  Gagabu  to  con- 
duct her  to  the  place  where  the  body  of  Paaker  lay. 
Ameni  was  very  much  vexed,  for  he  feared  that  Setchem 
was  now  lost  indeed,  and  he  desired  the  poet  to  follow 
him  at  once. 

The  mortal  remains  of  the  pioneer  had  been  laid 
in  a  tent  not  far  from  the  scene  of  the  fire;  his  body 
was  covered  with  a  cloth,  but  his  pale  face,  which  had 
not  been  injured  in  his  fall,  remained  uncovered;  by 
his  side  knelt  the  unhappy  mother. 

She  paid  no  heed  to  Ameni  when  he  spoke  to  her, 
and  he  laid  his  hand  on  her  shoulder  and  said  as  he 
pointed  to  the  body  : 

"  This  was  the  son  of  a  gardener.  You  brought 
him  up  faithfully  as  if  he  were  your  own;  but  your 
noble  husband's  true  heir,  the  son  you  bore  him,  is 
Pentaur,  to  whom  the  Gods  have  given  not  only  the 
form  and  features  but  the  noble  qualities  of  his  father. 
The  dead  man  may  be  forgiven — for  the  sake  of  your 
virtues ;  but  your  love  is  due  to  this  nobler  soul — the 
real  son  of  your  husband,  the  poet  of  Egypt,  the  pre- 
server of  the  king's  life." 

Setchem  rose  and  went  up  to  Pentaur,  she  smiled  at 
him  and  stroked  his  face  and  breast. 

"  It  is  he,"  she  said.  "  May  the  Immortals  bless 
him !" 

Pentaur  would  have  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  but 
she  pushed  him  away  as  if  she  feared  to  commit  some 
breach  of  faith,  and  turning  hastily  to  the  bier  she  said 

softly : 

42 


314  UARDA. 

Poor  Paaker — poor,  poor  Paaker !" 

"  Mother,  mother,  do  you  not  know  your  son  ?"  cried 
Pentaur  deeply  moved. 

She  turned  to  him  agalh:  "  It  is  his  voice,"  she  said. 
"  It  is  he." 

She  went  up  to  Pentaur,  clung  to  him,  clasped  her 
arm  around  his  neck  as  he  bent  over  her,  then  kissing 
him  fondly — 

"The  Gods  will  bless  you !"  she  said  once  more. 

She  tore  herself  from  him  and  threw  herself  down 
by  the  body  of  Paaker,  as  if  she  had  done  him  some  in- 
justice and  robbed  him  of  his  rights. 

Thus  she  remained,  speechless  and  motionless,  till 
they  carried  her  back  to  her  boat,  there  she  lay  down, 
and  refused  to  take  any  nourishment;  from  time  to 
time  she  whispered  "  Poor  Paaker !"  She  no  longer 
repelled  Pentaur,  for  she  did  not  again  recognize  him, 
and  before  he  left  her  she  had  followed  the  rough- 
natured  son  of  her  adoption  to  the  other  world. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE  king  had  left  the  camp,  and  had  settled  in 
the  neighboring  '  city  of  Rameses '  Tanis,  with  the 
greater  part  of  his  army.  The  Hebrews,  who  were 
settled  in  immense  numbers  in  the  province  of  Goshen, 
and  whom  Am"  had  attached  to  his  cause  by  remitting 
their  task-work,  were  now  driven  to  Jabor  at  the 
palaces  and  fortifications  which  Rameses  had  begun  to 
build. 

At  Tanis,  too,  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  and 
was  presented  to  Rameses  inscribed  on  a  silver  tablet 


UARDA.  315 

by  Tarthisebu,  the  representative  of  the  Cheta  king, 
in  the  name  of  his  lord  and  master.* 

Pentaur  followed  the  king  as  soon  as  he  had  closed 
his  mother's  eyes,  and  accompanied  her  body  to  Helio- 
polis,  there  to  have  it  embalmed;  from  thence  the  mum- 
my was  to  be  sent  to  Thebes,  and  solemnly  placed  in 
the  grave  of  her  ancestors.  This  duty  of  children  to- 
wards their  parents,  and  indeed  all  care  for  the  dead, 
was  regarded  as  so  sacred  by  the  Egyptians,  that  neither 
Pentaur  nor  Bent-Anat  would  have  thought  of  being 
united  before  it  was  accomplished. 

On  the  2ist  day  of  the  month  Tybi,  of  the  2ist  year 
of  the  reign  of  Rameses,**  the  day  on  which  the  peace 
was  signed,  the  poet  returned  to  Tanis,  sad  at  heart,  for 
the  old  gardener,  whom  he  had  regarded  and  loved  as 
his  father,  had  died  before  his  return  home ;  the  good 
old  man  had  not  long  survived  the  false  intelligence  of 
the  death  of  the  poet,  whom  he  had  not  only  loved  but 
reverenced  as  a  superior  being  bestowed  upon  his  house 
as  a  special  grace  from  the  Gods. 

It  was  not  till  seven  months  after  the  fire  at 
Pelusium  that  Pentaur's  marriage  with  Bent-Anat  was 
solemnized  in  the  palace  of  the  Pharaohs  at  Thebes ; 
but  time  and  the  sorrows  he  had  suffered  had  only 
united  their  hearts  more  closely.  She  felt  that  though 
he  was  the  stronger  she  was  the  giver  and  the 
helper,  and  realized  with  delight  that  like  the  sun, 

*  This  remarkable  document  is  preserved  on  the  huge  fragment  which  re- 
mains of  the  south  wall  of  the  temple  of  Karnak.  The  silver  tablet  on  which  it 
was  engraved  is  mentioned  and  described  in  the  4th  line  of  the  treaty.  It  was 
rectangular,  and  had  a  loop  at  the  top  to  hang  it  up  by.  The  best  translation  is 
by  Chabas,  in  "Voyage  d'un  Kgyptien."  The  hieroglyphic  text  was  published 
by  Burton,  Lepsius  and  Brtigsch.  A  translation  of  this  treaty  is  found  in  Egger's 
"  Etudes  sur  les  traites  publics,"  p.  243;  but  this  is  inferior  to  the  later  ones  by 
Chabas. 

**  According  to  the  date  of  the  treaty  of  peace  this  is  the  2gth  January. 


316  UARDA. 

which  when  it  rises  invites  a  thousand  flowers  to  open 
and  unfold,  the  glow  of  her  presence  raised  the  poet's 
oppressed  soul  to  fresh  life  and  beauty.  They  had 
given  each  other  up  for  lost  through  strife  and  suffer- 
ing, and  now  had  found  each  other  again ;  each  knew 
how  precious  the  other  was.  To  make  each  other 
happy,  and  prove  their  affection,  was  now  the  aim  of 
their  lives,  and  as  they  each  had  proved  that  they 
prized  honor  and  right-doing  above  happiness  their 
union  was  a  true  marriage,  ennobling  and  purifying 
their  souls.  She  could  share  his  deepest  thoughts  and 
his  most  difficult  undertakings,  and  if  their  house  were 
filled  with  children  she  would  know  how  to  give  him 
the  fullest  enjoyment  of  those  small  blessings  which 
at  the  same  time  are  the  greatest  joys  of  life. 

Pentaur  finding  himself  endowed  by  the  king  with 
superabundant  wealth,  gave  up  the  inheritance  of  his 
fathers  to  his  brother  Horus,  who  was  raised  to  the 
rank  of  chief  pioneer  as  a  reward  for  his  interposition 
at  the  battle  of  Kadesh;  Horus  replaced  the  fallen 
cedar-trees  which  had  stood  at  the  door  of  his  house 
by  masts  of  more  moderate  dimensions. 

The  hapless  Huni,  under  whose  name  Pentaur  had 
been  transferred  to  the  mines  of  Sinai,  was  released 
from  the  quarries  of  Chennu,  and  restored  to  his  chil- 
dren enriched  by  gifts  from  the  poet. 

The  Pharaoh  fully  recognized  the  splendid  talents 
of  his  daughter's  husband;  she  to  his  latest  days  re- 
mained his  favorite  child,  even  after  he  had  consoli- 
dated the  peace  by  marrying  the  daughter  of  the 
Cheta  king,  and  Pentaur  became  his  most  trusted  ad- 
viser, and  responsible  for  the  weightiest  affairs  in  the 
state. 


UARDA.  317 

Rameses  learned  from  the  papers  found  in  Ani's 
tent,  and  from  other  evidence  which  was  only  too 
abundant,  that  the  superior  of  the  House  of  Seti,  and 
with  him  the  greater  part  of  the  priesthood,  had  for  a 
long  time  been  making  common  cause  with  the  traitor; 
in  the  first  instance  he  determined  on  the  severest,  nay 
bloodiest  punishment,  but  he  was  persuaded  by  Pen- 
taur  and  by  his  son  Chamus  to  assert  and  support 
the  principles  of  his  government  by  milder  and  yet 
thorough  measures.  Rameses  desired  to  be  a  defender 
of  religion — of  the  religion  which  could  carry  con- 
solation into  the  life  of  the  lowly  and  over-burdened, 
and  give  their  existence  a  higher  and  fuller  meaning 
— the  religion  which  to  him,  as  king,  appeared  the  in- 
dispensable means  of  keeping  the  grand  significance  of 
human  life  ever  present  to  his  mind — sacred  as  the  in- 
heritance of  his  fathers,  and  useful  as  the  school  where 
the  people,  who  needed  leading,  might  learn  to  follow 
and  obey. 

But  nevertheless  no  one,  not  even  the  priests,  the 
guardians  of  souls,  could  be  permitted  to  resist  the 
laws  of  which  he  was  the  bulwark,  to  which  he  him- 
self was  subject,  and  which  enjoined  obedience  to  his 
authority ;  and  before  he  left  Tanis  he  had  given  Ameni 
and  his  followers  to  understand  that  he  alone  was 
master  in  Egypt. 

The  God  Seth,  who  had  been  honored  by  the 
Semite  races  since  the  time  of  the  Hyksos,  and  whom 
they  called  upon  under  the  name  of  Baal,  had  from 
the  earliest  times  never  been  allowed  a  temple  on  the 
Nile,  as  being  the  God  of  the  stranger;  but  Rameses — 
in  spite  of  the  bold  remonstrances  of  the  priestly  party 
who  called  themselves  the  '  true  believers  '—raised  a 


3 1 8  UARDA. 

magnificent  temple  to  this  God  in  the  city  of  Tanis*  to 
supply  the  religious  needs  of  the  immigrant  foreigners. 
In  the  same  spirit  of  toleration  he  would  not  allow  the 
worship  of  strange  Gods  to  be  interfered  with,  though  on 
the  other  hand  he  was  jealous  in  honoring  the  Egyptian 
Gods  with  unexampled  liberality.  He  caused  temples  to 
be  erected  in  most  of  the  great  cities  of  the  kingdom,  he 
added  to  the  temple  of  Ptah  at  Memphis,  and  erected 
immense  colossi**  in  front  of  its  pylons  in  memory  of 
his  deliverance  from  the  fire.  In  the  Necropolis  of 
Thebes  he  had  a  splendid  edifice  constructed — which  to 
this  day  delights  the  beholder  by  the  symmetry  of  its  pro- 
portions***— in  memory  of  the  hour  when  he  escaped 
death  as  by  a  miracle ;  on  its  pylon  he  caused  the  battle  of 
Kadesh  to  be  represented  in  beautiful  pictures  in  relief, 
and  there,  as  well  as  on  the  architrave  of  the  great  ban- 
queting-hall,  he  had  the  history  inscribed  of  the  danger 
he  had  run  when  he  stood  "alone  and  no  man  with  him!" 

By  his  order  Pentaur  rewrote  the  song  he  had  sung 
at  Pelusium ;  it  is  preserved  in  three  temples,  and,  in 
fragments,  on  several  papyrus-rolls  which  can  be  made 
to  complete  each  other.  It  was  destined  to  become  the 
national  epic — the  Iliad — of  Egypt. 

Pentaur  was  commissioned  to  transfer  the  school  of 
the  House  of  Seti  to  the  new  votive  temple,  which  was 
called  the  House  of  Rameses,  and  arrange  it  on  a  differ- 
ent plan,  for  the  Pharaoh  felt  that  it  was  requisite  to 
form  a  new  order  of  priests,  and  to  accustom  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Gods  to  subordinate  their  own  designs  to  the 
laws  of  the  country,  and  to  the  decrees  of  their  guardian 

*  This  temple  is  frequently  mentioned. 

**  One  of  these  is  still  in  existence.  It  lies  on  the  ground  among  the  ruinj 
of  ancient  Memphis. 

*'*  Known  as  the  Ramesseum. 


UARDA.  319 

and  ruler,  the  king.  Pentaur  was  made  the  superior  of 
the  new  college,  and  its  library,  which  was  called  "  the 
hospital  for  the  soul,"  was  without  an  equal ;  in  this 
academy,  which  was  the  prototype  of  the  later-formed 
museum  and  library  of  Alexandria,  sages  and  poets 
grew  up  whose  works  endured  for  thousands  of  years — 
and  fragments  of  their  writings  have  even  come  down 
to  us.  The  most  famous  are  the  hymns  of  An  ana, 
Pentaur's  favorite  disciple,  and  the  tale  of  the  Two 
Brothers,  composed  by  Gagabu,  the  grandson  of  the 
old  Prophet. 

Ameni  did  not  remain  in  Thebes.  Rameses  had 
been  informed  of  the  way  in  which  he  had  turned  the 
death  of  the  ram  to  account,  and  the  use  he  had  made 
of  the  heart,  as  he  had  supposed  it,  of  the  sacred 
animal,  and  he  translated  him  without  depriving  him 
of  his  dignity  or  revenues  to  Mendes,  the  city  of  the 
holy  rams  in  the  Delta,  where,  as  he  observed  not 
without  satirical  meaning,  he  would  be  particularly  in- 
timate with  these  sacred  beasts;  in  Mendes  Ameni 
exerted  great  influence,  and  in  spite  of  many  differences 
of  opinion  which  threatened  to  sever  them,  he  and 
Pentaur  remained  fast  friends  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  the  first  court  of  the  House  of  Rameses  there 
stands — now  broken  across  the  middle — the  wonder  of 
the  traveller,  the  grandest  colossus  in  Egypt,  made  of 
the  hardest  granite,  and  exceeding  even  the  well-known 
statue  of  Memnon  in  the  extent  of  its  base.  It  repre- 
sents Rameses  the  Great.  Little  Scherau,  whom  Pentaur 
had  educated  to  be  a  sculptor,  executed  it,  as  well  as 
many  other  statues  of  the  great  sovereign  of  Egypt. 

A  year  after  the  burning  of  the  pavilion  at  Pelu- 
sium  Rameri  sailed  to  the  land  of  the  Danaids,  was 


320  UARDA. 

married  to  Uarda,  and  then  remained  in  his  wife's 
native  country,  where,  after  the  death  of  her  grand- 
father,  he  ruled  over  many  islands  of  the  Mediterranean 
and  became  the  founder  of  a  great  and  famous  race. 
Uarda's  name  was  long  held  in  tender  remembrance 
by  their  subjects,  for  having  grown  up  in  misery  she 
understood  the  secret  of  alleviating  sorrow  and  reliev- 
ing want,  and  of  doing  good  and  giving  happiness 
without  humiliating  those  she  benefited. 


THE    END. 


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